We all fall

Our Friends

We have fabulous people in our lives. It's fantastic that such a great group of individuals from all walks of life can sit down and not only enjoy each others' differences but can embrace them, learn from them and, ultimately, laugh hysterically at them. I consider myself blessed to know them.

Last night we got together with these very people. We enjoyed delicious food, great conversation and the perfect backyard bonfire. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Especially when every person in the group owns Great Danes ... It's what we all have in common, and what brought us all together.

It's a beautiful weekend

Just a typical day here. Soaking up the sun and relaxing.
My dogs are constant reminders to make time to rest, and just enjoy "being" now and then.

Me? Domestic?

I've had a few friends tell me I'm turning domestic. I make apple pies like there's no tomorrow now; my fridge doesn't seem complete without their leftovers as a dessert option. I have also learned to knit. Which either makes me "domestic", or elderly. I prefer the former.

So what if I'm domestic? I always have been at heart. I actually love staying at home, enjoying the space I've created for my little family. I even made cinnamon pumpkin rolls from scratch last night. Domestic, I am. However, maternal, I am not. There lies a chasm of difference between one side and the other.

Even though I can appreciate cute kids swinging on the arms of their doting parents, and while I can also enjoy the wonderful experience of seeing a child's eyes light up when learning something new ... I'm still not 100% sure it's right for me. I am almost certain the stress of child-rearing would kill me. I already have mini heart attacks on days I have to drive to work during rush hour. Is a child supposed to be easier to manage than that? No.

And although I love the idea of having my own offspring one day ... picking out a cute name and dressing my blond, blue-eyed, big-headed baby boy in a red plaid eddie bauer fleece and baggy baby chords (for instance) ... I'm still pretty sure at least for tonight that I'm just not cut out for the job.

I love staying up late, and sleeping in late. I love the peace and quiet I always have in my house when I want it. I love being able to say anything I want outloud. I love driving like a bat out of hell. I love not having to talk about babies all day. I love not having to attend school functions. I love not having to leave work early because my child threw up in class. I love not having to worry about them being over-vaccinated. I love not having to worry about bad grades and disappointments. I love not having to worry about whether or not they'll say yes to the man in the van handing out candy as they walk home from school. I love not having to worry about whether they'll have the self-esteem and self-respect it takes to not be a total whore in high school.

But who knows ... maybe one day I'll also have those cute faces and personalities in our life. After all, I've already picked out their names.

Concrete Jungle

Well, we got the carpet up and are almost done scraping the paper and glue off in the kitchen and bathrooms. There is quite a bit of patching to do to the concrete including a few huge cracks that we'll need to level the area around. Good thing we started early. This is a slow-going process! It feels nice to have the carpet up, even if my feet are cold. The dogs HATE it and were clinging to the last bit of carpet as it was ripped out. Once it was gone, they ran to the bedroom and went to bed. The cats love it though. They spent a good few minutes racing around on the concrete floor and sliding around the corners. Funny how a change in scenery can bring out different antics in them.

We're sore and tired but feel accomplished. No going back now.

Deconstructionist movement

Almost 3 years after moving into our home, our flooring remodel is underway. We are laying wood laminate in the kitchen, living room, hallway, laundry room and both bathrooms. Yes, we're insane to try this ourselves. But when there's a budget, you do what you can to stick to it. It'll take longer than if professionals were laying it, but I think we'll appreciate it more by doing it ourselves anyway.

The flooring was ordered last week and we're waiting for it to come in so we can pick it up at the warehouse. We got a beautiful walnut color, 12mm thick, for only $1.49 a sq ft. We ordered 850 sq ft. I'm hoping it actually looks great once we have it installed, hard to imagine when all you have to go on is a small 5x5 sample.

We began ripping up the linoleum Monday evening. It was glued much more than we assumed it would be, so we're having a heck of a time scraping it off the concrete slab. Slowly and surely, this will get done. Especially with the help of our awesome, die-hard friends who are helping us through our process. We are very, very thankful for all of them and apologize in advance for any wounds or broken body parts when we're done. :)

This is our kitchen floor under the knife.

Knit two, purl two, slip stitch

I quickly decided that crocheting was not for me due to the uncomfortable pain it caused my hand. So, instead I signed up for knitting classes. I LOVE IT! It's something fun I can relax and concentrate on. It's almost therapeutic. Until I screw a knit or purl up and have to figure out where I went wrong. That gets a little frustrating, but the more I make mistakes and fix them, the better I get.

For our 3rd class, we learned how to make a ruffle scarf. It's not finished yet, but I'm on my way. I also made an apple pie. I'm such a homemaker these days. :)