Smells like spring

We have been practicing with our sprinkler system.  Turning on every zone.  Checking for broken sprinkler heads and even coverage.  The smell of wet dirt has made my heart so happy.  We weren't here last year for the all the fruit tree blossoms and the sight of them has me so excited at the prospect of trees hanging heavy with fruit.  I am reminded why we bought this old place.  The potential is amazing.

One of the local hardware stores where we have an account has recently made the mistake of selling baby chicks, feed, and other exciting products.  As I was inputing bills this week for our plumbing company, I noticed invoices with material named "Pearl White Chics" and "Chicken Stratch" feed.  Not exactly what plumbers need to fix clogged lines and such.  That Jace.  And he says I am the sneaky online shopper.

Good thing its Easter.  I stopped in town yesterday and bought a new skirt for the occasion.  Now we are even.  He said his Easter present will bring us eggs and happiness for years to come.  I told him my new skirt will bring me and my closet happiness as well.  Who cares if you can't eat it, right?

The baby chics were ready to move out doors today on this Easter sabbath.  The air is warming up and small, soft feathers now line their small bony bodies.  Jace rounded up a couple chicken wranglers to do the job.

Happy Easter!  I'm so grateful for this time of year and the opportunity we have to start anew.  I hope there is a dust storm of commotion at Mi Casa in the coming weeks.  We need a new roof and a new septic tank by June.  New windows would be lovely as well as new exterior paint, planted grass, and shiny, white baseboards.  Not too tall of an order is it?

Project: Life

Sometimes there just isn't a lot to post about on the home remodeling front.  Sometimes life is paramount and by life I mean birthday parties, sick babies, crappy weather, and laundry.  There have been behind the scenes negotiations between husband and wife about combining the 2 blogs for simplicity sake.  Some seasons of my life require all my energy and time and little is left to worry about paint colors and which way the toilet should face.  Here is a few pictures of my life in the past month.

My Noah turned 8 last month.  He constantly impresses and surprises the pants off his parents.  We love him and wish we had 4 more just like him.

At our house, when you turn 8, it means we plan another big day for the baptism.  Lots of family, lots of food.  All Noah wanted for his birthday this year was a black "sweater" for church.  "You know the kind with the secret pockets..."  He wears his new suit coat proudly every week to church.

And here we have Mikael.  Doing what she does best - playing "office".  And since my office is right off my front door, I have lots of explaining to do when guests come knocking.  She can have my desk cleared off and on to the floor in about 2.5 seconds.  Don't even get me started on what she can do with a basket of folded laundry.  This baby was sick this month.  Throwing up and diarrea for 7 straight days.  I felt horrible for her but thought I was going to lose my mind.  Thankfully, an antibiotic took care of whatever was causing it.  But it has literally taken weeks to get my house and life clean and back in order.  Sort of.

Jace did manage to get a few house projects done without me this past month.  Fixing steps, repairing sheet rock, moving toilets, and installing our new/permanent appliances.  And have I explained the turquoise table in the middle of the kitchen?  It is obviously a temporary island.  It covers and semi hides the water and electric pipes coming up out of the concrete floor.  One day a custom island will replace our turquoise table.  Soon I hope.  We literally eat 75% of our meals here.  It is quite comical trying to fit all 6 of us around it.

And while I love the look of my new stove, I'm sorry to say my other stove worked better.  Dang it.  I have almost burned the house down 3 times and melted the babies high chair tray.  The front control touch screen is sensitive.  And I don't think I have ever mentioned my finished concrete countertops on the blog.  For $180, we are pleased with the result.  We learned a lot and we are enjoying them.  Now, I just need to make up my mind on back splash tile and find a better hiding spot for the microwave.

My new counter depth fridge.  Can't say it enough.  If you are contemplating spending the extra cash for one - do it.  I can't believe how much nicer this fridge looks, than my older fridge that was regular depth and stuck out like a sore thumb.

And wait I lied.  I did do one decorating project.  It took me 3 weeks to get Jace to cut and then trim it to the right size but I'm loving the cork board in my black ikea frame.

Spring break is around the corner.  I have told Jace we are headed to the valley with or without him.  Hopefully with.  4 kids are much easier to manage with him.  I am ready for a break from this wind (and snow storms!) and my dirty house.  I need a trip to Ikea and Target.  Thats all I ask for and a little sunshine.

The writing on the wall

We celebrated 11 years of wedded bliss yesterday.  We are so old and wore out that we yawned our way thru dinner, ditched out on the movie, and then fell asleep next to each other mid conversation.  I am not even sure Jace noticed I had chopped me some bangs yesterday morning.  He is so sweet.

I have had one of those weeks.  I have had this inner dull ache begging for some change.  I was talking dramatic all week.  Making threats that I would cut my hair off and/or buy expensive dining room chairs.  And I kept finding gray hairs. 

And to explain how I was feeling this week a little better, I share the following story:
The only shopping in my small town is done at thrift stores.  I am a frequent customer.  I don't have much luck but it feeds my need to buy something.  Even if it a .50 Harry Potter book.  Well, after all that loyal patronage, the thrift store manager reminded me this week that I should no longer be trying to buy clothes off the size 6 mannequin, "because the mannequin has really thin arms."  

I cried the whole way home.  

My children could not make heads nor tails of what just happened.

I still haven't told Jace this story.  The wound is still too raw.

I'm boycotting the thrift store.

Probably until this coming February.

My new dining room is large.  And empty.  I gave Jace a couple options, explaining that the dining room was going to put me under this week.  We had to do something.  Anything.  And fast.

He hated the velvet Ikea drapes and said no to the blue shutters. And that is where the black chalkboard stripe entered my life.  Have you ever painted with chalkboard paint?  It doesn't erase.  It is causing me some anxiety.  So I'm not sure what direction the stripe is going to go but it does change things up, now doesn't it?

4 people snubbed me at the swap meet this morning.   I must be unrecognizable.  It must be the new bangs.  And my fat arms all this new change in my life.

p.s.  Tell me my thirties are going to be a little more sexy.  And exciting!  We have kind of got off to a rocky start - me and my thirties. 

Holiday Tour

Holiday Fun 2011

How was my holidays,  you ask?

Eh.  I've had better.

And let's just leave it at that.

Kitchen - Before

Over the holiday break, the original owners and builders of my current residence came for a tour.  Whoa!  I was so excited.  Finally, someone who could appreciate all the work we have done.  I pictured us reminiscing about funny stories that happened at my house, hugging, then promising to have FHE together once a month.  I just knew they would be thrilled to see my sweet, little family here living and working together under the same roof they raised 9 children under.

Kitchen - before

Kitchen - After (not completely done)

Their cabinets had been ripped out, rearranged, and painted.  The linoleum floor had been scrapped up and the concrete stained.  Which can be a confusing concept for some.  I think they were wondering when the flooring was going to be installed.

Kitchen - after

Master bathroom - before

Lights that used to hang in their master bathroom, have been spray painted and given a new life in the office.

office - after with the old vanity lights

The master bathroom was almost unrecognizable to them after the renovation.

Master bath - after (and not complete yet) 

No more carpet in the bathroom.  New vanities, tub, and walk-in shower.

Macy's bedroom vanity - before

And that fancy bedroom vanity upstairs?  Gone.  They were disappointed.  I kind of was too.  It was a battle I lost to Jace....he won a walk-in shower....which I kind of love too.

Macy's vanity - after

Painted furniture and mirror was a poor substitute.

loft - after (furniture less)

They wondered how and why the beams were white.  I think this was the biggest blow.  White beams.

They never got past the beams to tell me how they loved the new light fixture in the loft.

My dining room - a work in progress.  It's really killing me, this room.

Their last comment was, "Well, maybe when you get your artwork on the walls."  Their comments made me chuckle and made me realize just how much more work we have to do.  Seeing my house through eyes that once knew this house in all its glory humbled me a bit.  We probably bit off more than we can chew with this one but this wouldn't be the 1st time the Baums swam in that pool.

I told Jace about the tour later that night in bed.  He asked if I thought they would have been more impressed, had they known our remodeling budget would have fit in Ezra's piggy bank?

I said, "Naw, I don't think so."

Jim....Dixie.....we love you and your old, beloved house.  You are invited back for another tour. 

In 10 years.

;)

 p.s.  Know that it is killing me to post after pictures that aren't quite done or perfect.  One day.

I'm not mailing you a Christmas card.

Can't do it this year.  If you live nearby you might get a package of cookie dough with a poem included about how the Baums hope the neighbors and Santa don't mind milk and cookies - the unbaked kind.  Don't be jealous that you have a kitchen stove and you don't get to write catchy holiday poems about the cold, blank hole in your kitchen wall.

Some of our highlights this December (and reasons you aren't getting a card in your mailbox this year) are as follows:

My Ezra - bottom left.

We have been attending preschool Christmas programs.

We have been rearranging furniture to make room for our new dining room table and not mopping the floor but lets focus on the table here.  My Dad made it for me for Christmas.  Jace found the carved post legs buried out by our barn when we bought the casa last summer.  Pretty sweet, eh?  It was exactly what I had envisioned.  Love it when that happens.

Mikael has her daily lunch date with the kittens, dogs, and peacocks at the back door.  And that white stuff on the ground is not going away.  Looks like a white Christmas here in Snowflake, AZ.

A cold, snowy December and 3 wood burning stoves has given our kids lots to do.  They make about 15 trips a day, down the hill, with the little red wagon full of firewood.  I love it.

Count those fingers.  This lovely young lady turned 10 yesterday.

What a stinkin' doll.

She is my shadow, my babysitter, my fashion consultant, and my reminder of how I want to live my life. Jace and I hit the lottery 10 years ago with one Macy Baum.

And because I'm in a holiday spirit tonight, I'll show you what else we have been doing but not before I remind you what it used to look like:

And my new office:

There is more to do and more to see in this new room but so far it is my favorite (warm) hangout.

The wood paneled entry before:

And now:

Ignore my attempt at being crafty.  Those glitter words spell "Cheers."  But the new wood floors, stair railing, paint and light fixture didn't turn out half bad, right?

Merry Christmas!

Peace out girl scout

I had a goal this morning when I woke, that I would be done decorating for Christmas today.  I was so tired of looking at all my Christmas boxes stacked in my entry way.  The season is half way over - I'm well aware.  I've had other boxes that had to be dealt with first - like toilet paper and baby clothes from 2001.

This girl scout is happy to report that my entry way is Christmas box free tonight and my lights are plugged in and shining.  I love Christmas.  A part of me is real tempted to  photoshop these pictures.  I could refinish the front door, fix the broken doorbell and broken lights.  Paint.  Ah, if only it was as easy as clicking a button.  With all this remodeling talk, have I told you we haven't even started on the exterior yet?!

Santa,

Will you bring me new windows?  Lots of them.  A new roof?  A stucco crew?

And one of those fancy Shark steam vacuums?

And maybe stuff a new pair of new boots in my stocking?

Along with a legal sleeping pill for my 14 month old?

Am I asking for too much?

I promise to cut down on the swear words this coming year.

Yours truly,

Lindsay

Ya so we moved.

We made it here.

And it ain't pretty.  Our dinners are coming out of Doritos bags.

I swear I will be unpacking until Mikael goes to kindergarten.  It is physically impossible to move, blog, attend soccer finales, celebrate birthdays, sell houses, and get kids to school on time.  Bear with us.

Oh ya.

And just in case you weren't feeling just a wee bit sorry for me - Jace made me do the whole Thanksgiving thing for some of his family.  At my new house.  With no kitchen stove.  Bet you didn't know you could make mash potatoes in a turkey fryer. 

Burn.

p.s.  And a child that should remain nameless managed to crack the screen on my laptop and ipod, all in one week.  I told him he owes me $690.  He told me he doesn't have it.  So I really have no idea what my pictures look like on this post or if I noticed all the yellow highlighted mispelled words due to the big black spider covering my screen.

Countdown: Day 9

We have reached a new chapter in our lives.  Pig tails.  I laughed every time I looked at this baby today.  The pig tails just might be the key to a better relationship with this little gal.  Most days I'm not laughing at this child.  She is a difficult one.  If your mother ever told you that you were a difficult baby - go apologize.  Right now.  I mean it.  Jace and I were blessed with a few really sweet, calm, fat babies and then.....Mikael.  She is cute and sometimes sweet but wow, she has changed my life.  I should probably publicly apologize for rolling my eyes (in my mind) whenever another mother said "My baby cries all the time."  Or the popular, "He's teething."  I had not a clue what sleepless nights or a teething baby was until Mikael.

But the pig tails.  They single handedly took down the wall around my heart today.

pig tails after the nap

Ezra told me her pig tails weren't cute just small.

And that sweet 7 year old Noah managed to entertain her upstairs today while I cleaned downstairs at the new Casa.  The entire time.  Huge deal.  In fact I had so much time there today, I started hunting for 2 of the wooden, original chandeliers that came with the house.  I had decided that with a little elbow grease and a coat of shiny green spray paint they would have looked vintage modern instead of hideous/dark 1970's vintage.  Wasn't it such a great, thrifty idea?  Can you just picture them in your mind?  Well, I couldn't find those lights anywhere.

Jace took them to the dump.  Just 3 days ago.  Crimeamny.

My lighting budget just went from sad to depressing.  Tomorrow I'm going to scrounge through the lights that did not make it into Jace's dump trailer to see if I can make anything else work.  That guy.  I'm thinking about gluing a couple pig tails to the top of his head tomorrow.

Priorities

We are suppose to be busy finishing a house.  The house we are moving into next weekend.  But things keep getting in the way.  Some of the things cause me to stomp my feet and growl when I talk.  Like the new chicken coop for example:

Remember when the chicken coop use to just be the kid's tree house?  And it looked like this?

Sometimes I may not know when to pick my battles.  And this is not one of those times.  I know you will all agree with me that my bedroom should be completed before the chicken's.  All of you except Jace and the other crazed chicken sympathizers out there.  The saddest thing of all is that 4 year old Ezra thinks Dad built him 2 tree forts now!  Who is going to break the news to him that this newly constructed "fort" is for our feathered friends only?  Not me.

Distraction #2:

Jace gets a little Phil Weston on us every Saturday morning.  He loves to win.

He is the only coach in the league running up and down the field with his players.  Yelling.  It is pretty fun to watch.

And this little guy is so fun to watch.  He has had another great season.  Our Noah never fails to surprise and impress us.  Another reason I love this kid?  Check out his Obi-Wan Kenobi costume below.

All that he needed was a robe.  He wasn't worried.  He told me after the trick or treating that "everybody knew who he was."  Sweet, because his older sister had just a few wardrobe meltdowns.  "Everyone thinks I'm a pirate!"  And I don't even have to point out what the younger sister thought of her piggy costume.  She. Was. Not. Having. It.  And Ironman there in the middle was a repeat of last year.  Love that.

Remember those boring tile pictures I promised?

Enjoy.

Master bath.  I tried to talk Jace into doing the entire bathroom in the white marble.  As you can see he didn't think that was one of my best ideas.

But I don't mind the beige tile he picked.  It's kind of growing on me.

Kid's bath.  Was hoping for dark brown subway tile.  But white will do.  It will do.