Pepper Paints

The Seven Year Itch

I have always dreamed of putting an addition on our house. All the little things I loved about this house to make us buy it–I eventually came to hate. The chopped up rooms and tiny door ways, nooks and crannies. If you know me in real life, you know that my husband and I have talked about “the addition” for years-to the point where I am  sure our friends and family were sick of hearing it. We mention it almost every night at dinner when four of us eat around our table shoved against the wall and the fifth person sits alone at a different small table. And when we have extra dinner guests–which is more often than not—there is nowhere to sit. People always tend to gather in the kitchen-but if you are in my kitchen there is no doubt that you are just in the way. For years we have put off fixing things because of “the addition.” ” We are just going to remodel anyways”

Over the last few months we have met with our architect many times until the drawings were just what we wanted. We met with our builder several times so he knows just what we want. And….Well…. after seven and 11/12 years in our house finally “the addition” is underway!!!

We have the most awesome labor! First Jake dug part of the 50 foot trench where the bobcat won’t be able to fit so that we can bury our electrical lines. Did you hear him mention that our soil is mostly clay and full of tree roots.

Next thing on the list was taking our stone patio wall down. This involved swinging a sledge hammer and and busting stuff up. A boys dream!!

The girls helped with the relocation of all of the rocks (so we can re use them). This was not a parent approved part of the process. I looked out the kitchen window to see  them filling up a cart with the rocks, attaching it to the back of my car with a chain and Molly (who was more than happy to help!!) driving my car into the back yard with Jake making sure the cart didn’t ram my car.  My 12 year old driving around my back yard made me a little nervous I must add!

Early Sunday morning to my neighbors dismay the jack hammer arrived.

Actually my neighbors didn’t care at all (not yet anyways!). Word spread that we had a jack hammer and teens and men needed to try their hands at  the ultra, manly power tool. They got to play and we got a little help-win -win!

Four to six inches of concrete is hard to bust up and heavy to move! Here is a flat on the trailer. But have no fear—more manly toys and tools!

This is just the start of the demo that we are doing before the real project starts. Which is scheduled to happen in just a few weeks. I am way overwhelmed with all of a sudden the need to pick out windows and siding and get everything out of the garage and order the dumpster……One would think in the almost 8 years that I have been thinking about this I would know what I want.  So many choices! That I will have to live with forever! Doh! No pressure there!

I will update frequently on the progress so stay tuned! If you have remodeled or put an addition on your house and have any need to know advice-please pass it on!

Happy Birthday Jake

Yesterday was my oldest babies 15th birthday. Every year I tell my kids what The Day They Were Born looked like. They kid me and make fun of me when I start to retell their tale of the fateful day of their birth but I know deep down they love to hear each little detail. And funny–15 years later I can remember the day Jake was born like it was last week.

My first….. you have taught me so much in what today seems like a heart beat. Hard to believe it has been 15 years. I am so proud of the man you are becoming and the boy that you still are. No rush…slow down….a lesson to us both….15 only comes around once.  I vaguely remember 15—-it was a long time ago…but as I recall….it is good to be 15.  Enjoy my little boy!!

Feckless Friday

My feckless friend Abby has started a new Friday game and she wants us all to play along. It’s called Feckless Friday-I could write a post titled Feckless Monday thru Friday but I won’t embarrass myself. This dream I had about Lil’ Wayne is bad enough!

A bit of back ground info-I have a 14 yr old son, Jake,  who controls the car radio-so I listen to a lot of hip-hop. Every time they mention Lil Wayne, my husband and I have a tendency to act like we are cool and yell, “Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne’s in the house!” (I need a megaphone there so you can really hear how stupid we are!) And my son always tells us to “shut up!” in his 14 yr old brooding tone.

So on to my dream—Jake and I were at some fair or something and Lil Wayne was standing on a small platform stage with just a handful of people around. I turned to Jake and said, “Oh, Please, please can I do it?!!” He rolled his eyes and and said OK but walked way ahead of me so no one would know he was with me. And then I did it, I screamed, “LIL WAYNE,  LIL WAYNE,  LIL  W-A-Y-N-E’-S  IN  THE  HOUSE!!!!!!!!” and all the coool young, black, hip hoppers shook their fists at me and high fived me and said, “way to go Mamma!”

It was like a dream come true to be considered so cool by all those rappers. But as Jake reminds me…”it’s only your dream Mom.” Ahhhhhhhhhh

But I think Feckless Abby could have pulled it off…What d’ya think?

So how stupid are you? Let Abby know so she doesn’t feel so lonely!

Deja vu

Shhh, never wake sleeping kids!

If you know us IRL or you follow my blog you might think this is a previously taken photo of Jake with the arm he broke on 2/2/09. But it’s not. It was taken early this morning. Jake re-broke his humerus yesterday, diving for a Frisbee in his homeschool gym class. His teacher summoned me from the playground with, “I don’t know if it’s broken but he said get my Mom.” That was enough to tell me it was broken. Jake is not the kid that unnecessarily calls for his Mom.  At our weekly potluck we talked about how this unfortunate event maybe a bit of a wake-up call to Jake, a boy not in close touch with reality or his mortality. A boy who still thinks he can fly. I blame this on his Grandfather!

He doesn’t seem to be in as much pain this time and it is not as swollen-yet. But he is crabby. The thought of living a restricted lifestyle for another 8 weeks has got him mad. And the reality is, I’m a little annoyed about it too. That means my main helper around here is out of commision again. The  bigger, stronger, faster puppies are all my responsibility again as well as his  paper route.

But also, a  part of me smiles.  I get to spend more time with my independent teen. He will be back to hanging out in our bedroom at night again to watch TV with us. You never think the day will come that your kids will move out, but suddenly it’s in the not, hugely, distant future of about 4 years away.  In those next 4 years his friends will become more important, he will become more independent and won’t be hanging out in the bedroom watching late night TV with his Mom and Dad.  So, selfishly, I’ll take what I can get!

Welcome 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008 went out with a party!!!

Stilt dancing downtown at First Night

Jake got to walk in the streets with the big boys…lucky him!!!!!!!

We made it home just in time!

2008 was good but 2009 will be even better!!!!! The pork is in the crock pot (to ensure my good luck!) And we are off for a day of skiing. Welcome 2009!

The Ohio State Fair

Note the “Theeeee” at the beginning of most everything in Columbus, maybe all of Ohio.  It’s not the it’s theeee.

The Fair is almost a national holiday at my house, although with my kids getting older, not as much this year.  Molly usually has a count down going about 2 weeks prior to the it’s arrival.  Every year we go the Fair, early in the morning until late at night.   We spend too much money on wristbands and admission.   We pack a lot of food and drinks that mostly don’t get eaten.  My kids ride rides the whole day.

I don’t.

I follow them around trying to find an inch of shade to stand in, watching all the different people walk by.

And yell things like, “Hey did you plan that?”  Not really.

I complain about not spending time looking at he “fair” side of the fair and not just the midway.  They appease me by quickly walking through the Fine Arts Building

(And look what I saw!!!)

and The Ag building-mostly because they have to use the bathroom.  I think they have looked at the animals a couple of times over the years.  This year Jake and I walked off so I cold take some photos and look at a few real fair attractions.

The sun started to finally go down,

we loaded crabby, overtired kids and most of our food back in the van for a car ride home of screaming, yelling and crying of the volume 10 type.  Add to it blaring music from the boys up front so THEY didn’t have to listen to all that, “whining and carrying on ” in the back.   So I sat stoically in between two sets of  guttural cries of, “We didn’t get to ride the …” and “Take me back, I want to play that game.”    After throwing them separately into the shower and into bed, I too fell into a deep needed sleep.

Today we are moving slowly-although I have much to do.  They are reminiscing this years day at the fair as if it were one of the best so far..ugh!  Glad it is a happy memory for them and I am sure by next year I will once again forget the year before, as I do every year.

Thursday’s Quarter Recipe

First I need some of this……

lemon mint water!  So cool and refreshing!  Add a few sprigs of mint and a few squeezed lemon quarters and chill.   OK now onto the real recipe…

Remember when you would come home to the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookie bars?  Well I don’t because my mom didn’t make them but, a  Jake’s friends Mom often makes us these tasty treats that I just couldn’t match.  Mostly because what makes them good are the things I tend to replace to make the treat more healthy; white flour, margarine, sugar.  The list could go on and on.  So I bought the Toll House Semi-Sweet chocolate chips just for the recipe.  Now that I have the recipe I would replace the chips with a different brand.  Yes I am a bit of a chip snob.  I prefer dark chocolate.-oops there I go again……

Original Nestle’ Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 lg eggs

2 cups chips

375 degrees

combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.   Beat butter and sugars and vanilla extract in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Grdully beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chips.

Grease 15×10 inch jelly roll pan  bake 20-25 minutes.

So I realized my jelly roll pan is much bigger as I started to spread it in my pan so I tried to form it to a rectangle that was 15×10.  Actually it worked out great-since I like dark crispy cookies (the ends of the bars)a nd everyonre else likes soft cookies (middle).  But as you can see the vultures are ready to attack!