I'm back, I promise. We've been transitioning here in Casa Swan, getting some new spaces ready for people we already know (we'll call them "guests" but really they are all mostly family) and for people we're about to meet (that would be Colter). Thad has a few finishing touches to put on our new basement project (closet doors, a sliding panel door between bedroom and office, and some paint touch up in a couple spots. There is also the window to finish framing, one window to replace, and curtains to be put up, but that is all kind of back burner right now compared to our next big project.
Casa Swan Clean Up/Round Up 2009
We are going to have to clean out a bunch of crap from several areas of our home to make this place bearable. Right now things are piling up, old furniture I'm holding on to in the hopes to reuse it, baby stuff that needs to be donated, and all the crap I've crammed into the "spare room" that is now going to be "Colter's Room". Before it's all transferred to the basement I think I need to sort out a ton of stuff to get rid of. This includes:
An entertainment center with a cabinet for dvd storage that swings off the side
A chaise lounger
Possibly our cheap rocking chair if we can trade all of the above in for a new recliner
I also have a big box of old pictures, but I think this will be moved down to the basement so I can buy a small storage unit and start scanning in pictures that we'll want later and organizing the clutter a little bit in case I ever do get around to putting together some nice albums.
Last but not least, we need to paint Colter's room. I think I have the colors picked out, a cream all over all walls, and then I'd like this peacock blue stripe around the top of the room, and I want a thinner brown stripe going through the middle of the blue. This is my goal, and we have a laser level to help complete the task.
Well, it's the 4th of July, so happy 4th everyone. Thad's brother got married yesterday at a BEAUTIFUL garden here in Billings, so I'll post some pictures here soon to share and enjoy. Hope you all have a great 4th!
Oh, and I'm 8 weeks away from my due date. ThoughI might mention that for posterity :)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Nature Girl
Yesterday Elora and I went for an hour long hike with my friend Tanya. We went to Two Moon Park, which is right next to the Yellowstone. On the way back to the car we struggled with her pouting and her desire to be carried because I kept warning her about snakes when she walked through the tall grass. So the closer we got to the car the more resistant she was to continuing.
About 5 minutes before we got to the car she proclaimed she was "pooping". Tanya was not yet familiar with the fact that this was meant either number 1 or number 2, and just meant she needed to do SOMETHING. So in the woods, right of the path, I pulled her little pants down, helped her into the squat position, and held her there while she christened the ground with her first outdoor pee.
This isn't a picture from yesterday, it's a cute one I took today when she saw I had the camera out.
About 5 minutes before we got to the car she proclaimed she was "pooping". Tanya was not yet familiar with the fact that this was meant either number 1 or number 2, and just meant she needed to do SOMETHING. So in the woods, right of the path, I pulled her little pants down, helped her into the squat position, and held her there while she christened the ground with her first outdoor pee.
This isn't a picture from yesterday, it's a cute one I took today when she saw I had the camera out.
BANE OF MY EXISTANCE
This is why I hate cleaning the bathroom. They are EVERYWHERE. Thad trims his beard as close to the mirror as possible, rather than over the sink. These little hairs make me a little homicidal.
Monday, June 1, 2009
It's June!
Holy moly does this summer seem to be moving by fast. Just yesterday we started May, it seems like, and now we're already galloping in to June. That means I have 3 months left until my due date, and I think now would be the appropriate time to begin the panic.
Not for reals, because there have been a few developments in Casa Swan. First of all, the room in the basement has been mudded and textured. Thad's parents came up this weekend, and he and his dad spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday covered in white joint compound. They decided on the knockdown texture (as seen here) and just got it done. So the last of this project will be painting and getting the flooring we want in the basement.
Secondly, I found some bedding for Colter that is really cute and that we can choose a lot of different colors from to paint his room. You can see a close up of the bedding set here. There are cute jungle animals, and a plethora of colors to choose from. I want to buy the paint for the basement and the paint for his room at the same time, and then we can work on getting both rooms painted back to back.
I also picked up a lot of cute baby stuff at a garage sale and out shopping with Schelle (mom in law) this weekend. Elora even got some Cars pajamas and a tshirt with Lightning McQueen, and some Dora slippers. After getting all that shopping done I didn't spend any time cleaning my house up, but I guess that's what this weekend will be for.
Finally, I'm 1 week away from being in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I see the doctor on Wednesday, and then I'll start going in every 2 weeks. It won't be long before I'll start seeing the doctor weekly, and I am mentally preparing myself for "Thanksgiving Turkey" feeling every pregnant woman gets when she becomes the object of the occasional "stuffing". At some point you actually being shutting down when you see a glove being placed on a hand, because you know you're going to be manhandled from within very soon.
I am starting to wonder about this little peanut inside me. Up til now he's just been my little tag-along, but last night he was kicking a conga beat on my stomach so much so that Thad even saw it move. Is he going to be blonde and blue eyed like his dad, or is this going to be the kid that has my coloring? Elora has tiny hints of me, but I show up more in her personality (she covers her mouth with her hand when she giggles, she's loud, she likes to make people laugh and laugh with them, and she has A MOUTH ON HER). So I wonder if Colter is going to be the spitting image of anyone. Will he have brown eyes? Is he going to be a shorter, stockier breed than Elora, who even now is almost as tall as 3 and 4 year olds at daycare? So many questions are starting up again, just like the first time around, and I'm starting to get excited to find out the answers.
Lastly, a quick word of apology to those friends that have not had any interactions with me lately.... it's going to get worse. With the weather getting hot I don't foresee a lot of outside time when the temperatures soar above 80 degrees. I spent the day yesterday outside with Elora after work, and had to nap once we got back in the house. So I just wanted to say, I'M SORRY AND I LOVE YOU, AND ONCE THIS BABY COMES LET'S HANG OUT. I'm receptive to invitations to dinner and movies, so please don't forget about me before I pop this kid out!
It's time to get ready for work. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I will keep you posted on the status of the basement projects and the preparation for Baby Swan 2009. My good friend Jen will be here at the end of July, so I anticipate having a shower at that time, which will likely consist of having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants (Juliano's for the uninitiated). I won't be registering for baby stuff, but I will let everyone know if there are any clothing sizes or diaper sizes that would be best to bring so we can start a stockpile for Colter as he gets bigger.
Peace, y'all!
Not for reals, because there have been a few developments in Casa Swan. First of all, the room in the basement has been mudded and textured. Thad's parents came up this weekend, and he and his dad spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday covered in white joint compound. They decided on the knockdown texture (as seen here) and just got it done. So the last of this project will be painting and getting the flooring we want in the basement.
Secondly, I found some bedding for Colter that is really cute and that we can choose a lot of different colors from to paint his room. You can see a close up of the bedding set here. There are cute jungle animals, and a plethora of colors to choose from. I want to buy the paint for the basement and the paint for his room at the same time, and then we can work on getting both rooms painted back to back.
I also picked up a lot of cute baby stuff at a garage sale and out shopping with Schelle (mom in law) this weekend. Elora even got some Cars pajamas and a tshirt with Lightning McQueen, and some Dora slippers. After getting all that shopping done I didn't spend any time cleaning my house up, but I guess that's what this weekend will be for.
Finally, I'm 1 week away from being in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I see the doctor on Wednesday, and then I'll start going in every 2 weeks. It won't be long before I'll start seeing the doctor weekly, and I am mentally preparing myself for "Thanksgiving Turkey" feeling every pregnant woman gets when she becomes the object of the occasional "stuffing". At some point you actually being shutting down when you see a glove being placed on a hand, because you know you're going to be manhandled from within very soon.
I am starting to wonder about this little peanut inside me. Up til now he's just been my little tag-along, but last night he was kicking a conga beat on my stomach so much so that Thad even saw it move. Is he going to be blonde and blue eyed like his dad, or is this going to be the kid that has my coloring? Elora has tiny hints of me, but I show up more in her personality (she covers her mouth with her hand when she giggles, she's loud, she likes to make people laugh and laugh with them, and she has A MOUTH ON HER). So I wonder if Colter is going to be the spitting image of anyone. Will he have brown eyes? Is he going to be a shorter, stockier breed than Elora, who even now is almost as tall as 3 and 4 year olds at daycare? So many questions are starting up again, just like the first time around, and I'm starting to get excited to find out the answers.
Lastly, a quick word of apology to those friends that have not had any interactions with me lately.... it's going to get worse. With the weather getting hot I don't foresee a lot of outside time when the temperatures soar above 80 degrees. I spent the day yesterday outside with Elora after work, and had to nap once we got back in the house. So I just wanted to say, I'M SORRY AND I LOVE YOU, AND ONCE THIS BABY COMES LET'S HANG OUT. I'm receptive to invitations to dinner and movies, so please don't forget about me before I pop this kid out!
It's time to get ready for work. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I will keep you posted on the status of the basement projects and the preparation for Baby Swan 2009. My good friend Jen will be here at the end of July, so I anticipate having a shower at that time, which will likely consist of having lunch at one of my favorite restaurants (Juliano's for the uninitiated). I won't be registering for baby stuff, but I will let everyone know if there are any clothing sizes or diaper sizes that would be best to bring so we can start a stockpile for Colter as he gets bigger.
Peace, y'all!
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Garden of Eaten
Haha, witty, aren't I? This is my first year attempting to help with our yearly garden. Thad is quite a green thumb, and I hope that some of that rubs off on me as I assist in keeping things alive in our little plot of veggie heaven.
So I got to actually pick some things that we put into our garden this year, and we ended up with a total of 22 various varieties of tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn, etc. Here's the run-down:
3 types of tomatoes
4 types of peppers
2 types of beans
2 types of corn (including a red sweet variety)
2 types of squash (including zucchini)
cantaloupe
onions
carrot
beets
fennel
cabbage
broccoli
cucumbers
So here is the garden now that all the work has been done. Thad laid out plastic to avoid weeds (it works really well at keeping moisture in the soil). He did nearly all the planting too, but I mapped out where everything would go.
We had a nice small bbq on Saturday night, nothing huge and only a few of Thad's work friends made it. Since we were making our bombastic ribs it worked out really well that only about 4 adults plus Thad and I were there. More ribs for us. And oh, they were good. Thad and I have discussed actually purchasing a dedicated smoker to continue our mastery of smoke and rub.
Here is a picture of our little bathing beauty. She put on her swimsuit and played in her little frog pool on Sunday.
Here is a picture of the hunter stalking her prey. Whenever either of us is eating anything that she considers yummy in any way she will climb on top of us and open her mouth really wide (as seen below) to indicate that she would like a bite.
Well, I have to go bathe my child and motivate myself to get some laundry done before I start my 3 day work week. I wish all weekends were 4 days long.
Oh, and in two weeks I'll officially be in the home stretch of Baby Swan 2009. The third trimester is almost here. That means that the panic to finish the baby's room and get the guest room in the basement finished will officially begin. It will all come together, but my nesting instinct may not be able handle the strain.
Peace out. Remember all those that have served our country for our freedom today!
So I got to actually pick some things that we put into our garden this year, and we ended up with a total of 22 various varieties of tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn, etc. Here's the run-down:
3 types of tomatoes
4 types of peppers
2 types of beans
2 types of corn (including a red sweet variety)
2 types of squash (including zucchini)
cantaloupe
onions
carrot
beets
fennel
cabbage
broccoli
cucumbers
So here is the garden now that all the work has been done. Thad laid out plastic to avoid weeds (it works really well at keeping moisture in the soil). He did nearly all the planting too, but I mapped out where everything would go.
We had a nice small bbq on Saturday night, nothing huge and only a few of Thad's work friends made it. Since we were making our bombastic ribs it worked out really well that only about 4 adults plus Thad and I were there. More ribs for us. And oh, they were good. Thad and I have discussed actually purchasing a dedicated smoker to continue our mastery of smoke and rub.
Here is a picture of our little bathing beauty. She put on her swimsuit and played in her little frog pool on Sunday.
Here is a picture of the hunter stalking her prey. Whenever either of us is eating anything that she considers yummy in any way she will climb on top of us and open her mouth really wide (as seen below) to indicate that she would like a bite.
Well, I have to go bathe my child and motivate myself to get some laundry done before I start my 3 day work week. I wish all weekends were 4 days long.
Oh, and in two weeks I'll officially be in the home stretch of Baby Swan 2009. The third trimester is almost here. That means that the panic to finish the baby's room and get the guest room in the basement finished will officially begin. It will all come together, but my nesting instinct may not be able handle the strain.
Peace out. Remember all those that have served our country for our freedom today!
Monday, May 18, 2009
I'm young and free and feeling fresh
Today was Monday, and Mondays for me aren't usually bad. Most of the time I feel highly productive on Mondays and today was no exception. I got a lot of work done, saw my mom a couple times, and at the end of the day opted out of Blizzards in exchange for homemade berry smoothies. So no feelings of guilt there.
My mom had back surgery last week, fusing multiple vertebrae together. Hopefully this alleviates a lot of the back pain she's suffered with for the last decade or so, but there was a metal plate installed in her back so I think feeling good is going to be just a little slow going. Keep Darla in your prayers, dear readers, as she deserves to start having a life again
On an internal note I'm starting to feel much harder kicks these days. I told Thad that this kid is getting strong and he made a "no duh, consider who his father is" comment. I can't say I disagree with him, but I was expecting that any man-child of mine would be a milque-toast. Yeah, look it up, it's a real word.
This coming weekend I have Sunday and Monday off, so I think we're planning to get our garden put in and as a reward for our efforts we're smoking RIBS. Last August Thad and I smoked a couple racks of ribs on our grill and his friend Jason has not quit talking about them. Honestly, they were quite freaking good, which is due to the amazing dry rub recipe I got from the Paupered Chef. I'd link it, but I'm lazy. I'm super excited at the prospect of these ribs, so if we end up following through on this plan there will be pictures to drool over.
In other news, the basement project is coming along. Thad is still mudding corners and edging, and once this is finished he will texture it with his dad's texture gun. We're probably going to go carpet shopping with our measurements and look at a nice piece of remnant carpet, or a couple pieces if we have to put it in as a two part deal. I told him the deadline for it being ready for guests is the end of June. His brother gets married on 7/3 so we're going to need to get it ready so we have two guest rooms to offer family that comes to town.
Elora has been officially diaper/pull up free for an entire week. She's going in the potty full time, and has not had a single night time accident. The day care provider has 3 year olds that are still not potty trained, so the fact that Elora is not even 2 1/2 is pretty awesome. She calls everything "pooping". She's even gone potty at Famous Dave's and Walmart, and I'm so happy to be done with diapers. Now she has an assortment of really cute little panties.
So now I'm working on getting her to quit telling me "NO" when I tell her to do something. She'll get it eventually, when she goes to her room EVERY TIME she does it. This is the age to break that habit before she gets older and thinks that it's ok to tell mama you aren't going to do what she tells you. I'd hate to see me come unleashed on her as a teenager, a la Darla, so it's better for her that we nip it in the bud.
Well, Elora has been wanting her father every night to snuggle with, but tonight apparently Her Majesty is requesting an audience with me. I'm going to go snuggle and head to bed. If I don't post again until after Memorial Day I hope everyone had a great weekend!
My mom had back surgery last week, fusing multiple vertebrae together. Hopefully this alleviates a lot of the back pain she's suffered with for the last decade or so, but there was a metal plate installed in her back so I think feeling good is going to be just a little slow going. Keep Darla in your prayers, dear readers, as she deserves to start having a life again
On an internal note I'm starting to feel much harder kicks these days. I told Thad that this kid is getting strong and he made a "no duh, consider who his father is" comment. I can't say I disagree with him, but I was expecting that any man-child of mine would be a milque-toast. Yeah, look it up, it's a real word.
This coming weekend I have Sunday and Monday off, so I think we're planning to get our garden put in and as a reward for our efforts we're smoking RIBS. Last August Thad and I smoked a couple racks of ribs on our grill and his friend Jason has not quit talking about them. Honestly, they were quite freaking good, which is due to the amazing dry rub recipe I got from the Paupered Chef. I'd link it, but I'm lazy. I'm super excited at the prospect of these ribs, so if we end up following through on this plan there will be pictures to drool over.
In other news, the basement project is coming along. Thad is still mudding corners and edging, and once this is finished he will texture it with his dad's texture gun. We're probably going to go carpet shopping with our measurements and look at a nice piece of remnant carpet, or a couple pieces if we have to put it in as a two part deal. I told him the deadline for it being ready for guests is the end of June. His brother gets married on 7/3 so we're going to need to get it ready so we have two guest rooms to offer family that comes to town.
Elora has been officially diaper/pull up free for an entire week. She's going in the potty full time, and has not had a single night time accident. The day care provider has 3 year olds that are still not potty trained, so the fact that Elora is not even 2 1/2 is pretty awesome. She calls everything "pooping". She's even gone potty at Famous Dave's and Walmart, and I'm so happy to be done with diapers. Now she has an assortment of really cute little panties.
So now I'm working on getting her to quit telling me "NO" when I tell her to do something. She'll get it eventually, when she goes to her room EVERY TIME she does it. This is the age to break that habit before she gets older and thinks that it's ok to tell mama you aren't going to do what she tells you. I'd hate to see me come unleashed on her as a teenager, a la Darla, so it's better for her that we nip it in the bud.
Well, Elora has been wanting her father every night to snuggle with, but tonight apparently Her Majesty is requesting an audience with me. I'm going to go snuggle and head to bed. If I don't post again until after Memorial Day I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
BOOM
Yes, my living room is filled with laundry baskets, but the main focal point of this picture is my ENORMOUS BELLY. Now, I don't know if anyone remembers when I was pregnant with Elora, but the battle between belly and boobs wasn't officially overtaken by the belly until I was a little further along (or at least I thought it wasn't). I don't know where else this kid is going to go, but I have a feeling he'll start creeping his way up behind my lungs.
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