Monthly Archive for October, 2007

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And, they’re both round…

Published on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 in Conversations and It's a paycheck. 2 Comments

So, I just got off the phone with a lovely woman in an office somewhere in Oklahoma. I was misled by Google, and had dialed the wrong number. She told me in no uncertain terms that I had the wrong number and that I really needed [the same area code]-[the same prefix]-0810.

She said, and I quote, “Ugh! You need ‘oh-eight-one-oh.’” I could hear her eyes rolling.

I smiled sweetly, knowing you can hear a smile, too, and not wanting to further anger this woman, and said, “I just want to be sure I have this right. It’s [area code]-[prefix]-zero-eight-one-zero?”

The woman let out a very unprofessionally disgusted sound and yelled, “NO! IT’S OH-EIGHT-ONE-OH.” Oof, lady. I’m right here. There’s no need to yell. Google must direct a lot of wrong calls to that poor woman.

“Um, okay. Thank you so much. Bye…” Of course, she’d already hung up on me. I was left looking at the number on my notepad, pondering the difference between an ‘oh’ and a ‘zero.’

As it turns out, the answer to the question, “Is that an ‘oh’ or a ‘zero’?” is “Yes.”

Sense of Urgency

Published on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 in Claire, It's a paycheck, Language, Milestones and Parenting 101. 0 Comments

“Hurry, Momma! Hurry! Hurry, Momma! Hurry!”

I’m not sure where she got this, but Claire has started pleading that we comply with her wishes in a quicker manner than normal. (The first time I wrote about it on the blog was when we went to get our flu shots, and she’d just started saying it a couple days before that.)

One of my biggest pet peeves is being told to hurry up, especially when I’m already hurrying as fast as I can. It’s not like I’m just sitting here twiddling my thumbs and watching the butterflies flit about outside my window. If I’m on a task, I’m on a task. Odds are, I’m already telling myself to hurry, so I don’t need to hear it again. And, although there is a fine line, at times, between the patience level of toddlers and husbands, I have found that it wouldn’t matter if I was in the middle of doing whatever it was that I’ve been asked to do; I am still prodded along with the fervent tone and incessant coaxing.

In my professional life, I’ve always had a sense of urgency. I rarely procrastinate. I may drag my feet at first, on occasion, but I really don’t put things off. It’s important to me to be on time. It’s important that I meet deadlines, regardless of whether I’ve set them myself or if they’ve been pre-determined.

I’m an independent contractor, so I get paid for what I complete. Obviously, the more I do, the more compensation I get, so it’s always been in my best interest to get things done. Now. Hurry! I don’t remember telling Claire to hurry, but I must have. Or, maybe she got that from her father. Or, maybe she can hear the voices in my head?

At times, her “Hurry, Momma! Hurry!” pleas are pretty comical. And, even though they are exasperating, it’s hard not to laugh. She’s learning how to express herself and get what she wants in this world, and that’s a pretty cool process to see.

Speaking of getting what you want, we’ve also continued our practice of the Magic Word. Claire has been saying “Please” for a while now, but she’s getting to the stage where she really understands the power it holds. It’s not just a filler-word you say along with something else. It can actually help you get something you want, quicker than you would have normally gotten it. And, if you haven’t noticed, we’re all about fast service around here.

Sometimes, she forgets the most important part of the request…the meat of the issue. What is it you want me to do? “Please, Momma! Hurry, Momma! Hurry! Please!” Please hurry up and do what? You left that part out, silly.

It doesn’t take her long to get back on track, and we move on to the next thing…not nearly fast enough, of course, but we do move on.

Stylin’

Published on Monday, October 22, 2007 in Claire, Milestones, Photos and TV Shows. 7 Comments

This morning, after breakfast, Claire was playing while I was catching up on an episode of Ugly Betty online. (My Thursday Night Line-up contains too many shows. It’s so full, and TiVO can only handle taping two shows at once. Of course, there are 2.5 of my favorite shows on at the same time…so I compromise! The ABC viewer works well, so I watch Ugly Betty later.)

Anyway, she came into the kitchen wearing this outfit. Isn’t it a riot!? I ran to get camera and was able to get a couple good shots. She had a blast clomping around in her impromptu shoe. She wears this bag as a hat a lot, but this is the first time I’ve seen such stylish footwear. (What you don’t see is the other gift bag that she makes Momma or Daddy wear as a hat…)

No, she’s not picking her nose (this time)…she’s adjusting her shades!

What a great way to start a Monday!

Autumn Portrait

Published on Sunday, October 21, 2007 in Blog Business, Claire, Custom Image Header, Photos and Shadow Portraits. 1 Comment Tags: Shadow Portraits.

I’ve changed the header on the blog to coincide with the changing of the seasons. I’m a sucker for playing in the leaves in the backyard, and we love taking shadow portraits. This one, in particular, was a lot of fun. This is, of course, one of about 237 we took. For pictures, and in general, I always hold Claire between us, in my left arm. This time, she kept trying to lean back on Daddy’s shoulder, which is great for regular pictures, but makes an oddly shaped Daddy and Claire blob on a shadow portrait.

As soon as I switched her to my other arm, this picture emerged, and we were amazed at how much it looks like all of us! All of our mannerisms and personalities are captured in this particular shadow portrait. Daddy is concentrating on taking the picture; I have my head cocked to one side, and you can see Claire’s profile as she’s looking at Puppy. I love it!

So, when the snow flies, we’ll try our hand at some snow shadow portraits. In the meantime, enjoy this autumn portrait!

Fun in the leaves – 2006

Published on Saturday, October 20, 2007 in Claire, Milestones and Photos. 0 Comments

Yesterday, for Photo Friday, I posted some pictures of Claire playing in the leaves. Below are some pictures we took of Claire playing in the leaves last year. She was only 10-months old!

Although some things have remained the same…

She still hears the dog next door.

She still loves to inspect the leaves.

She still smiles for the camera.

…it’s amazing to see what a difference a year makes!

Photo Friday – Fun in the leaves!

Published on Friday, October 19, 2007 in Claire and Photos. 5 Comments

Claire loves playing in the leaves! Yesterday was a gorgeous fall day, so we were able to escape for a bit and play in the backyard! Here are some pictures I took yesterday afternoon:

Claire can hear the dog barking next door…

So many leaves to inspect!

“Hey, Claire! Say cheese!” (And, she did!)

Claire loves sitting on our bottom deck.

Here’s an action shot!

She was leaping into action so she could run up the hill!

Here she is all the way at the top! (Well, as far as the grass goes, anyway…)

She likes the view from here…and so do I!

A poke in the arm

Published on Thursday, October 18, 2007 in Claire, Language, Milestones and Parenting 101. 6 Comments

So, yesterday, we had appointments at the pediatrician to get our flu shots. Our office offers them to parents as well as children, so I was thrilled to be included. (Claire’s is free with our insurance. My hubby got his for free at work, so paying a small fee to have mine done with Claire was worth it!) They were doing a flu-shot clinic where you RSVP for a specific time-slot, and then they move you through the line. Last year, it was a pretty simple procedure. I wasn’t sure how things would go this year, since Claire is exponentially more mobile than she was the last time.

When I went to get Claire out of her crib that morning, she had started her daily commentary. She was babbling to me about what she saw outside and what Puppy was doing, and how Daddy was at work, and I asked her about her dreams, like I do every morning. Then, I said, “Guess where we get to go today! We get to go to the doctor’s, and he’s going to give you a flu shot. He’s going to give you a shot in the arm. And, it will feel like a poke!” as I lightly pinched her upper arm. “Momma’s going to get a flu shot too, and she’s going to get a poke in the arm, just like Claire!”

“The doctor’s gonna poke my arm!” she said excitedly. “The doctor’s gonna poke Momma’s arm!” Obviously she didn’t understand that there could be pain involved with a poke in the arm, but I let her run with it. Any chance to go bye-bye is very exciting in our house, and I was hoping to use that excitement to my advantage. The last thing I needed was a 22-month old who didn’t want to get her flu shot.

All morning, I would hear about her baby, her new step stool, and Kitty and Monkey, and what the kitties are doing and how Daddy’s at work! Oh, and the doctor’s gonna poke my arm! The doctor’s gonna poke Momma’s arm! We’re goin’ bye-bye. The doctor’s gonna poke my arm!

She went down for her nap, and as soon as she was up, she started in again about how the doctor was going to poke us both in the arm. Who knew this would be so exciting?

All the way to the pediatrician’s office, I heard, “Look at the cars! Oh, that’s a big truck. We’re goin’ bye bye! The doctor’s gonna poke my arm! The doctor’s gonna poke Momma’s arm! Hey, Momma! I see you in mirror! Momma’s in mirror! Claire’s in mirror! The doctor’s gonna poke my arm.” Needless to say, we had a very lively conversation the whole way there.

There was a short line at the doctor’s office, and she was anxious to go see the doctor. I tried to explain to her that the nurse would be the one giving the shot, but she was way too excited to understand.

“Fishies! I wanna see the fishies!” Why they put the fish tank on the “sick child” side of the waiting room, I’ll never know. I guess sick kids need them more? I tried to keep from having a germ-infested-waiting-room-induced panic attack as she ran all over the waiting room while I was filling out the paperwork. Luckily, I was pretty mobile with the clipboard they gave me, so that I could keep an eye on her. Only once did I have to retrieve her, and that was when she headed down the hallway with one of the little chairs. “I’m gonna go see the doctor! He’s gonna poke my arm!” she yelled as she pushed the chair through the doorway.

“We’ll get to see the nurse soon, sweetie. Let Momma finish this paperwork and then we can!” I couldn’t believe my child was begging to get her shots. We were quite entertaining for the receptionists. They certainly don’t see this every day.

Then, it was time to go wait in the line…again. We followed the signs around the corners of the hallway and tried to patiently wait our turn. “The doctor’s gonna poke my arm!” she told a little girl waiting in line in front of us. That little girl looked at her mom with the “They’re going to do what to me!?” look on her face, and the other mother smiled at me. “Oh yes. We’re really excited about getting our flu shots,” I said. What else could I do?

The woman behind us commented that it felt like we were in line at the Haunted House, with all the “turn here” signs and “go this way” arrows, and all the screaming and crying coming from the rooms up ahead. None of it fazed Claire. “The doctor’s gonna poke my arm! The doctor’s gonna poke Momma’s arm!” Her excitement was nearly as contagious as the toys over by the fishies in the waiting room.

Then, it was our turn. The nurse called, “Next!” and Claire dragged me into the room. “Hurry, Momma! Hurry! The doctor’s gonna poke my arm!”

I got my shot first, and I must have tensed up, because it really hurt! And, all day my arm hurt all the way down to my fingertips. It’s even tender today! Needles don’t bother me in the least, but I was afraid Claire would wiggle off my lap and we would drop Puppy, and the nurse said, “Ok, relax your arm,” as she poked me in the arm. Uh, thanks for the warning. Not quite relaxed yet, thanks.

Then it was Claire’s turn. It took three seconds, and she didn’t even make a peep! She was all smiles and even thanked the nurse. The nurse gave her a big yellow smiley face sticker. As we gathered our things and started walking toward the door, Claire was clutching her newest prized possession and says, “The doctor poke’d my arm! The doctor poke’d Momma’s arm! I gotta sticker!!”

And, I have a feeling we’ll be talking about this for days to come…

Warm Glow

Published on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 in Photos. 3 Comments

The huge ash tree in our backyard has turned the most vibrant color of golden-yellow I’ve ever seen. Actually, that’s not true. We see this color every year, and every year it astonishes us with its breathtaking beauty. Every year, we say to each other, “Have you ever seen such an unbelievably glorious color?” It shocks me every time I see it. There really are no words to describe it.

This weekend was rainy and dreary, yet there was a warm glow spilling into the kitchen from the backyard. The yellow of the ash tree was so bright that it made the whole backyard glow. I wanted to get a picture of it, but I knew it wouldn’t do it justice. Plus, I really wasn’t motivated to go out in the dampness in search of an illusive photo.

Today, I realized that the pile of leaves on the ground is getting bigger and bigger, so if I want to capture the essence of this color before it’s gone, I need to act quickly. So, I went out and took pictures of the leaves. I don’t have a fancy-schmancy camera, but I love my little Canon Digital Elph. She does what I need her to do, most of the time. Even she was shocked by the brilliance of the color, and it was more than she could handle. She was overwhelmed but did the best she could do.

So, these photos, while very pretty, really aren’t the reality of the situation. The magnitude of the color cannot be captured. These pictures will need to serve as a reminder for us. When we see these, we’ll remember that day in early autumn when it rained all day, but the kitchen was lit up by the warm glow of our ash tree.

Because he asked nicely

Published on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 in Conversations and Random Thoughts. 1 Comment

“Oh, man! They’re ripped!? I don’t think there’s any way to fix these jeans!”

“What did you…??? How did you…??? You know what? I don’t even want to know.”

“We can’t fix these. I’m throwing them away.”

“Not yet. Not before I take pictures of them.”

“No! Please don’t! Please don’t put pictures of this on your blog. This never happened.”

“Okay…just this once. You’re lucky. Next time, I’m making a camera crew follow you around.”

I swear the man could have his own Reality TV Show.

Master Bathroom Remodeling Project – Pictures!

Published on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 in Home Improvement, Home Improvement - Master Bath and Photos. 6 Comments

Well, the project is complete!!

All of the construction equipment is OUT OF HERE. I’m almost not sure what to do with myself. It’s no challenge whatsoever walking from the hallway into our bedroom at night now. There is no chance of tripping over a power-drill or impaling myself on who-knows-what. Where is the thrill in that?

It’s been a long haul, but it’s been worth it. You can see the list of the things we did here, and you can check out other posts by clicking on the Home Improvement – Master Bathroom category on the sidebar.

Without further ado, here are the pictures! You can click on each picture to see things in more detail. Click a couple of times on each picture to see the most detail…

Here’s what you would see if you were the new heated floor in the bathroom. You can see part of what we’ll be replacing (counter and sinks) and refinishing (cabinet) in Phase Two of the project. And, yes, we’ll be replacing the very stylin’ 1977 light fixture above the sinks. You can see one of the pair in the reflection of the medicine cabinet.

This pictures shows the floor tile and some of the wall tile with the shower base. My hubby did a great job cutting the tiles for the furnace vent. I liked the different lines in this picture.

Here is the new shower base we installed. It was much easier than installing a tub. Because there is a brand new tub right next door in the main bathroom, we opted to keep the full shower in here. You can also see the shower curtain. It’s a little bit wrinkly in this picture, but it will smooth out in no time.

My hubby painstakingly cut each tile. The pieces for the window were particularly tricky. He even rigged a contraption to keep the tiles on the “ceiling” of that space from falling down while the mortar was drying. The man’s a genius when it comes to these projects we get ourselves into. The window sill and apron are new, as well.

Here is a picture of the tile design inside the shower. We put these diamond-shaped pieces in random places throughout the shower walls.

Here, you can see the new fan/light and our curved shower curtain bar. We took out the solid sliding door and opted for this instead. We have a curved shower curtain bar in the main bathroom, and we love it! You can also see that we painted the outside of the bathroom door to match the paint color we chose for the walls (so that the white door wouldn’t detract from the main color of the room). The winner? Churchill Hotel Wheat! (For some reason, the flash makes the door and the wall look like different colors, but trust me, they’re the same in real life.)

So, how do you find a shower curtain to fit a space created by a low profile shower base and a curtain rod that is curved and much higher than normal? You get an extra-long curtain and then add some decorative rings. Yes, this was the plan all along, and we like the effect! Because the shower curtain is completely clear (see-through) it feels like you’re taking a shower in the whole room! It’s bizarre the first time you do it, but it doesn’t take long to get used to it.

Here you can see the new towel bars we put out in the other section of the bathroom. You will notice that we opted to paint one wall in this area the same color as the walls inside the shower room. We kept the other three walls of that area white. That way, when you look toward that room, your eye focuses on that color, and it highlights the tile inside. Also, you can see the programmable sensor for the heated floor. (It’s under the medicine cabinet.) Warm floor tiles in the morning are incredible. It almost makes getting out of bed bearable.

Here is a little bonus area of the “Master Suite” that we remodeled as well. This is on the wall opposite of the door, floor sensor, and medicine cabinet. We put up a new mirror and two hampers (one for darks and the other for lights). We got these items at Target (and I just pronounced that as Tar-jay in my head, just so you know…). The hampers we had before were mismatched and didn’t really fit in this area very well. Before, this area was kind of an after-thought, but I’m very impressed with it now! And, you can see the reflection of our bedroom in the mirror.

So, that’s it! I can’t believe how far we’ve come, and Phase Two will be super-easy to complete. In fact, we’re not really in a rush to get that part done. There’s no time-constraint, and as long as I don’t have to step over extension cords, drill-bits, sanding blocks or tubs of spackle, I’m a pretty happy camper.

Like I said, it’s been a long project, and now that it’s done, we couldn’t be happier with the results!