Recovery

Fize came through her surgery with flying colors! The vet even said she was trying to eat and was eager to get outside this morning. If she continues to improve then we can pick her up on Monday. Yay!! We are all so relieved. Now we just need to wait to see what type of tumor it is -- results in about a week. Unfortunately, the vet says 2/3 of the time these are a very malignant strain and often you only get a 3-6 month life expectancy. We're hoping we're in the other third. Fize has always beaten the odds.

In unrelated news, our washing machine joined the appliance casualty list prompting M & I to go into an appliance buying frenzy. We bought a new dishwasher, range, fridge, washer & dryer in just under three hours. I'm particularly enamored of the washer, which is one of the newfangled, high-efficiency, no-agitator types. Rumor has it you can wash a king sized comforter in there. We will see. We have to wait until January 8 for installation so I may have to find a laundry service in the meantime. Or wash our unmentionables by (gulp!) hand. Or maybe I'll just buy some new undies for everyone and call it a day. How I wish I was caught up on the laundry before this happened!

Prayers for Fize

Fize is having an emergency splenectomy (sp?) tonight -- they found a massive tumor growing in her spleen. They are operating as I write and we are all just praying and hoping that the tumor hasn't spread to any other organs and that she comes through surgery well. Our little family just wouldn't be the same....

We love you Fize!

Diversions

Laundry, cleaning, unpacking? Nah. It can wait thanks to Libby -- she turned me on to this! My first score was 248 seconds, 73% and a 47 mile error margin. Maybe I should take more time and be more accurate? (That's what M would say.)

And now for something completely different...

A post where I don't whine about the kids, the chaos, the general disorder of our lives!

We had a very merry Christmas at my mom & dad's house and the kids were enchanted by the tree, the presents and (for A) the piles of perfectly good paper and boxes that no one cared that he was playing with! True to form, neither M nor I took any pictures, relying solely on my sister's friend Paparrazi Kari to get some great shots of us all.

Christmas Day we had a delicious brunch at my parents and then opened our family gifts. My sister and mom and dad went overboard in a wonderful way and as usual I was blown away by not only the gifts but the awesome wrapping and presentation job. Sister J really has a knack for that kind of thing, a gene that the rest of us are sadly lacking as my gift wrapping is on par with your average kindergartener. After gifts, we spent a few hours at my brother's house playing with their kids and enjoying some of my s-i-l's delicious food -- her talent is putting together a spread. not to mention decorating and entertaining, in the midst of serious chaos.

D & A both got amazing gifts and Santa brought D a Webkinz (her most requested item) and the minute they woke up this morning they wanted everything set up. A got lots of vehicle-related gifts and has been patiently (for him) waiting for me to unpack!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well and are filled with the peace and joy of this season.

Not a creature was stirring...

OK, so it's not quite Christmas Eve yet, but the kids are still all nervous that Santa will put them on the naughty list at the last moment. Especially poor D who wants a Webkinz so much she can't help but ask about it every 10 minutes.

Anyway, everyone has quieted down nicely except for moi, who is rushing around doing last minute laundry for our trip tomorrow. And I still have to wrap gifts, pack, and somehow hide the "Santa" stuff in the van so the kids don't see it.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!!

Whoops

So yesterday I fell down the stairs. Literally. From about six risers up. I think I broke my big toe, which got caught under me in the slide. Plus I banged up my ankle pretty well too. I'll be wearing Crocs for Christmas for sure -- they're the only things I can get my foot into.

I hope I can serve as an example -- or at the very least a warning -- to my children, who witnessed all or part of the mishap.

Luckily, because I'm on like 3000 mg of Motrin a day to help with the pain from my new crown -- did I mention I had to get a crown yesterday? -- the pain in my foot is not as bad as it could/should be.

I'm not unpacking a thing until after Christmas.

Get cookin'!

Since the range in our new house seems to be in the crapper, we're limited to two small burners until the new one arrives. This has resulted in some creative attempts at meals and a HELL of a lot of take-out.

However, I have found my new favorite snack: Cape Cod potato chips & vanilla sugar wafer cookies! Yumm! And I'm not even pregnant!

Tally

In the last 24 hours:

Tree limb removal = $2000
Pediatrician visit = $25
Antibiotics & cough meds for sick baby = $25
Trip to target for home org. stuff, more meds for baby = $200
DVR service for watching fave Food Network shows at 3 a.m. with sick baby = $7/month
One sleepless night = $20 (Motrin, Diet Coke, Peppermint Mocha latte from Starbucks, concealer and major makeup)
Watching the kids play happily and quietly in their rooms = Priceless

M comes home late tonight. I hope he got some rest last night!

Bah! Humbug!

I'm feeling a little Scrooge-y today. What with the unpacking that I didn't get around to, the washing machine that sounds like a 747 landing in the kitchen, that yesterday we were running our a/c and today I've had the heat going full blast all day, A starting up with the Terrible Twos AND a massive, nasty head/sinus cold, and then to top it off M had to be out of town tonight for work. Kinda puts the damper on my Christmas spirit.

I need to get my gratitude on though. That at least all the appliances kinda-sorta work, even if they are old. That our massive laurel oak in the front yard didn't cause any damage when it dropped a limb on the roof our second night here, and that our wonderful Tree Guy, Duane, will be able to fix the problem tomorrow (even though it is going to cost us a FORTUNE -- a fortune I wish I could've spent on, sayyyyyyy, new flooring or shoes or just about anything but tree trimming.) That we have such a beautiful house and that, now, when A is crying and coughing all night he only wakes us up... and not his poor sister. That M has a great job at a great family friendly law firm (two things that don't usually go together) and that he has taken on the burden of providing for us without complaint or anger.

OK... That is a lot to be thankful for. God has provided for us! What more could I ask for this Christmas?

Note to self

N.B.: Next time we move (AS IF!) provide more specific details on the moving boxes about contents therein. Example: Instead of "Fragile! Glassware!" put "Mini souffle cups, sugar/creamer, champagne flutes." Three boxes of random "Fragile! Glassware!" it has taken me to locate coffee cups. I haven't run into regular drinking glasses yet. Nor have I found among the "Kitchen" boxes anything resembling cereal bowls or placemats, two essentials around here. So we've been using the souffle cups as cereal bowls and folded up newsprint for placemats. I thought we'd have to drink coffee from the sugar bowl if the coffee mugs hadn't turned up today.

Other than that, I unpacked my clothes. Yippee.

Home sweet home

We're in, the Internet and cable are hooked up and we're getting settled. I've unpacked the kids and about 1/3 of the kitchen. Our bedroom is a disaster area, but I have located clean undies, so that's all I really care about.

We need, in no particular order: baby gates for the stairs; many, many, many more outlet plugs; more lamps; a new TV for downstairs; a maid. We don't need any additional cabinet/storage space. We finally have enough room for everything and everyone. It's a great feeling.

There's a wicked cold front coming, so we'll find out if our ancient radiator system works. But at least we won't need a/c for a few days and it'll really help to get us in the Christmas spirit. The downside? We have no rugs yet, so our tootsies are gonna freeze!

Have a nice weekend! Anyone want to help me unpack?

Go Gators!

Who needs the BCS?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/12/08/heisman.ap/index.html

Go Gators!

Packin' it in

Two days until Moving Day. Four until the close. I'm not sure which deadline is scarier.

Yesterday I got the kids clothes packed - A's took up a huge duffel, D's a large suitcase. All of her dresses are in there, which sparked a wardrobe meltdown this morning. Finally she unearthed a pair of purple cord shorts that were in her "hotel" bag. The child will not wear anything but pink or purple.

We're mostly done with the hard packing. Now it's just a matter of stuffing what's left into whatever containers we have left. At the end, aren't there always some loose items that just get chucked into the car? That's how we've always moved. It's even harder this time because we aren't moving very far - just a mile or two - so it doesn't seem like you should have to wrap n' pack very carefully.

We'll be disassembling the computer tomorrow night, so the next time I post, we'll be moved!

Hurray!

6 days to go

I'm opting not to pack a thing today and to do a spot of cleaning instead. The house is starting to get a bit funky -- I think it's been at least 2 weeks since I cleaned anything.

Tonight is D's school Christmas Concert. After the concert M & I are going to take her out for a light supper or maybe ice-cream - just the three of us. We got a sitter for A on the grounds that 1) he'd never sit through a Christmas Concert and 2) D needs some quality time with us. She had a choice between two dresses: a straight, mid-calf, red velvet one and a rose-colored, sparkly, twirly tulle number. Guess which she picked? I'll post a picture later.

Moving on - one week to close!

One week from today M & I will be on our way to the title company to close on the house. It's amazing and scary all at once - we're so used to our little bungalow (and little mortgage) and now, as my sister Debbie put it, "we're all grown up." Yikes. The best part though will be that the packing will be done... and the unpacking won't have started yet. We basically have the rest of our lives to unpack since I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon, God willing.

Got the beast of a hall closet packed yesterday -- and then we remembered we don't have a downstairs coat closet in the new house. We think they might have converted it to the downstairs bathroom. Bummer. We'll have to do some creative organizing. Today I tackle the dining room buffet. Lots of serving pieces, platters, the Good China, etc. The kitchen pack up starts tomorrow, so we'll be eating off of paper soon.

The weather looks beautiful for the next 10 days though, so it will make the move pleasant. This is the exact time of year that we moved into our current house, so we at least we're consistent. There are more similarities - we made the offer on this house on my birthday (ditto for the new house) and we finalized the deal three days later (ditto). Weird, that.

Moving on - day 4

I borrowed this from Libby...

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Let me know what Holiday Food you are!

We had a wonderful visit with M's brother Mike last night. We went to Red Mesa, one of my favorite restaurants. The kids made it though the whole meal and A only started throwing food right at the end. Then we came back to the house to sit amongst the clutter and eat homemade carrot cake (my first!). It was so nice to catch up with him.

Back to reality here... we made great progress yesterday and I'm still shocked at how much stuff we have. I've got a van-load on the way to my favorite kid's consignment shop and Goodwill and there's still stuff pouring out of every closet, cupboard and room. Not to mention the odd scritchy-scratchy noise coming from the laundry room cupboards. Yikes. Today I'm concentrating on the dining room and main hall closet. Shouldn't be too hard - or so I think.

My goal is to have all my packing for the day done before D gets home from school so that I can spend some quality time with her AND make a real dinner tonight.

Cheers!

Moving on - day 3

We're one week from the move! And 10 days from the closings! That means in less than 2 weeks, with a little bit of God's grace, we'll be living in our new home, cooking on the World's Oldest Gas Range and the kids will finally have their own bedrooms. I'm sure they'll still bug the crap out of each other, but maybe that will get better when they don't have to live on top of each other. Ah, privacy. The new house basically gives each of us (including Dog) 600 sq ft to spread out. I'm sure initially it will feel soooo big, but we all know how your stuff has a way of expanding to fill a vacuum.

But we gotta get there first. M slaved all weekend and did a great job packing and organizing the two main junk zones. I'm ashamed to say I contributed little more than child care. Although I have a neat plan for getting the house packed up, I've yet to put a single item in a box. I'd rather be blogging. Oh wait, I did empty some of the pantry cupboards and packed away my precious food processor. I swear I'll get crackin' today -- as soon as A is napping.

I also have a tremendously long list of assorted service providers, etc. to call with our new contact information. I'd better get on that too.

OK. Enough! I'm going! Right now!

Moving on - day 2

Day 2. Back to summer-ish weather here. Hot, sticky. Or maybe I feel that way because I tried to take both kids to Mass this morning, without M, and then to the Pancakes w/ Santa breakfast afterward. What a fiasco. A still can't make it past the homily without losing his mind, so we inevitably end up in the vestibule or cry room. We were also waaayyyyy overdressed (I thought it was going to be cool like yesterday) so that accounts for the "hot" part. Then the syrup dispensers were leaking, so that might be the "sticky." Plus it was smack dab in the middle of A's major nap time -- don't deny that boy his nap! -- and you have hot, sticky, whiny, kicking fun. I know it was the first Sunday of Advent, but I couldn't tell you a single thing other than that. Isn't that terrible? Thank goodness that D is now and has always been an absolute angel in church. I think I've had to hush her once in five years. I'm ashamed to admit that A doesn't usually go. Since almost all the mass times coincide with either sleeping or feeding times, M usually takes him for a long walk while D & I are at church. It works out well for us, at least until A is old enough to behave in church. Or be bribed. Whatever works.

So Packing Day 2 was the main reason I was taking on both kids today. M's made some great headway -- both the garage and the attic are cleared. He's even tossing some old Law School books and papers that he hasn't needed for the last 8 years! The art room is starting to fill up with boxes - it's our staging area - and we tackle the pantry, laundry and dreaded hall closet next. On Tuesday I'll start on the china and crystal, Wed. & Thurs. will be the major kitchen packup and then the bedrooms and bathrooms next Friday - Sunday. Gulp. For fairly anti-materialistic people we sure have a LOT of stuff. Also, I have 15 years of National Geographic that I can't bear to part with even though they weigh well over 150 lbs. (when we moved here 7 years ago they weighed 76, so I'm estimating they've about doubled) and take up 3 boxes of their own. Also taking up room is my beautiful, preserved wedding dress. It's also in an enormous box of it's own, carefully wrapped in acid-free packaging. I know the odds of D (or anyone) using it are teeny, but I can't bear to part with it. So maybe I'm a wee bit packratty too.

Moving on - day 1

Good morning! Today is a picture perfect Florida December day - blue skies, lots o' sun, low humidity, about 60-ish. Perfect for walking the beach looking for shells, packing a picnic lunch and hanging at the local park, or going to the Farmer's Market for produce, some granola and a hot breakfast crepe. Or for tearing apart your house, emptying out the attic and packing. Guess what we're doing?

Today is officially Day 1 of the moving process. Because we only have two weekends before the move/close, and M is not able to do a lot during the week, the bulk of the heavy stuff has to be done this weekend. So that means many trips up and down the rickety attic stairs to take down all the crap that we put up there when we moved in and haven't touched since. I say "chuck it" but M is more of a packrat, and since he's doing the heavy lifting, I'll let him organize it however he wants. Whatever. Of course, that's how we ended up with an attic full of crap in the first place. There's good stuff up there too - like our Christmas decorations (which I don't know if we'll get to this year) and baby stuff and boxes of clothes I haven't worn since the summer of '01 -- before the first time I was pregnant. I think maybe those should go to Goodwill. By the time I'm able to fit into a size 2/4 again, all that stuff will be even more hopelessly outdated than it is now. Although.... I think I've got a bunch of Ralph Lauren I might save. Stuff that's too cute (and expensive) to toss or to try to replace.

We do have some fun things happening - my brother-in-law will be here for a work-related visit on Sunday and we're going to meet on Monday evening for dinner. We haven't seen him since March, so it will be great to catch up in person.

Have a great weekend!