Fireplace Re-do

Is re-do even a real word? I'm not sure, but if it isn't I just made up a new one. This summer has been beyond weird for a lot of reasons - the weather has been weird, we've had a lot of weird health stuff... so ya, just weird. A re-do on this summer might be nice!!! Just as summer is winding down, things are starting to fall into place. I've been shopping for curriculum for the kids and have made my decisions on what we'll be doing as far as school this year. I am going to order next Monday and hopefully start the last week in August. Olivia will be doing a little school this year too! I think as much as I don't want summer to be over yet, getting back into a regular rhythym will be nice.

Last weekend we got to work on a few things inside the house that have been labeled as "in progress" for far too long. The fireplace is finally just about done! Here are the pictures of its transformation through the years.....



bare drywall.... this was our first walk through of the house in '04


'nother one


then we added some wood, tile and molding to it... looks better, but still awkward







in progress....


drywalling....


Ta Da!!!!!


I finally got some pictures in those frames above the couch too!!!


We still have to add some small molding to the fronts/side of the columns and around the wall sconce to finish it


I am on the look out for a cool mantle clock and some candlesticks too!!

Kevin of course did all of the hard work and the building and I did all of the painting. And much like all of our other home improvement endeavors, this project wasn't without its share of catastropies. Upon trying to vaccuum up the drywall dust after sanding, our beloved shop vac had a little malfunction. The filter slipped and shot all and I mean ALL of the dust out the back.... all..... over.... the house! And of course all over Kevin and me. But it's done!!! I also finally painted that bookcase Kevin made last year! It was unfinished, so I finished it!!



It feels good to be able to check some things off the list and I'm super happy with the way these latest projects turned out. Big ups to my man for being able to turn the ideas in my head into something beautiful!!!

Growing Too Fast

Just a few new photos of the kids!!! They're growing so fast. Ethan just turned 9, Abby is 6 1/2 and Olivia will be 3 in September. I think they're pretty cute!!!

Growing Green

It's been awhile since I blogged about our garden. It's HUGE!!


We've already had a good crop of lettuce and spinach and we've enjoyed a couple of tomatoes too. Everything has been very tasty so far! Abby and I picked some green beans and wax beans this afternoon which we will be eating with dinner tonight!!! I can't wait to taste them!


I am so happy with the way everything is growing. We should be enjoying some of the cherry tomatoes, carrots, more lettuce and some cucumbers very soon. I am so happy with the way everything has turned out and how easy it's been to take care of. I think all of the rain we've had has definately helped. Speaking of rain, check out my new playlist. I never realized how many songs were written about rain and storms!! There is quite a variety of styles too. "Stormy Weather" was a song I used to sing when I was little. I think my dad taught it to me?? Funny!!

Eleven Years

Nothing but sappy, emotional posts coming from me lately! Wonder how many regular readers I've turned away?? ;) Hang in there, people! I just have to get this one out and then we'll be back to all the randomness. This July 4th is my 11th wedding anniversary!! I think if you can make it past ten, you're in the clear right?? Seriously though, I cannot believe I have been married to this wonderful man for eleven years. And we started dating back in 1993, so we've been together for...... well, I'm not even going to go there! It's been a long time!

Marriage is an interesting union, that's for sure. Wikipedia says that marriage is a social, religious, spiritual, emotional and/or legal institution of individuals which creates a kinship. Kinship seems like the right word to me. It's better than friendship. It also said that marriage is often viewed as a contract. Huh. Neither one of us really knew what we were in for when we signed that contract. If someone would have told us what to really expect, we probably would have run in the other direction and not looked back!!! Just kidding! It hasn't always been easy though, that's for sure. Lots of things have changed over the past eleven years. We started out in a simple apartment in the city with just the two of us and now we have a house in the suburbs with kids and a dog. And now we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to, but I can honestly say there is still no one on the planet I would rather spend my time with. I guess that's why it works so well. We still like each other!!!

So what has being part of this particular contract taught me???

1) to err is human, to forgive is divine - so he forgot to put the seat down again. Choose your battles, don't sweat the small stuff..... forget about it.

2) just because you have a fight doesn't mean you don't love each other and just because you don't fight doesn't mean you do - you know??

3) what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine ;) share stuff

4) communication is key. And it's more about listening than talking so shut up!

5) if you come to a fork in the road, take it

6) time outs aren't just for kids - if you're super pissed take a break before it gets real bad... like throwing things bad. You want to avoid that if possible

7) look at what's right rather than what's wrong

8) learn to say you're sorry and really mean it

9) some home improvement projects are best if hired out - ex: putting up wallpaper together equals marriage death

10) always remember to say I love you - never assume it's implied

As usual, my playlist sums it up better than I could with words. Most of these songs have very significant meaning to us - 'Iris' was what we danced to at our wedding reception eleven years ago! Happy Anniversary, Kevin. 'I love you' doesn't even begin to touch the surface of how I feel about you, but it will have to do! Here's to many more amazing years together!!!

Sort of An Update

Wow, is it gorgeous today! I am feeling tons better today, so we've been spending some time outside working in the yard and the weather is amazing! I just wanted to post a small update with news about what's been going on with my health. I still wasn't feeling too good after finishing the z-pack I got for my sore throat. SO back to the doctor I went! I was persistent in wanting them to do another throat culture and not the rapid one they did which had been negative for strep before. So they did that and checked my white count again and did a mono spot test as well. Mono came back negative to my suprise! I figured maybe that's what it was due to the extreme fatigue and awful sore throat. More good news was that my white cells were down from near 20,000 to around 13,000. I think normal range is 4,000-10,000. Don't quote me though!!! But it's good to see that number coming down.

So they sent me home with a tougher antibiotic that I have been taking three times a day and some prednisone for my throat being so swollen still. The meds are helping a lot, but I'm still nasty tired. The nurse called back Friday as well to let me know that my throat culture came back positive for beta hemolytic strep. Evidently it's another nasty kind of strep that doesn't show up in the rapid strep test. But I'm lucky they did catch it and give me something else because I guess it can be pretty serious if it were to spread to my heart or lungs (Jim Henson died of this strep when it spread to his lungs) which it doesn't appear to have done as far as anyone seems to know. I say that without complete certainty because I am still not getting too many answers from anyone!! My only instructions were to finish the meds and take it easy so that's what I'm doing.

I have no idea if that had anything to do with the heart episode or not, but I am seeing an electrophysiologist (cardiologist that specializes in heart rhythym) on Wednesday to find out if there is some type of underlying problem or damage that would have lead to the heart rate issue or not. Either way, there is some urgency there to find out so that it doesn't happen again. There is a lot of focus surrounding sudden cardiac arrest right now due to the untimely death of Michael Jackson this past week. Cardiac arrest is different than a heart attack in that the causes of each are different. Heart attacks happen to people when the coronary artery is blocked and the muscle dies. Cardiac arrest is when the ventricles that pump the blood go into a useless fluttering and the heart stops beating. It's usually related to some sort of underlying disease, arrhythmias, illness or sometimes medication that causes weakness or damage to the heart muscle. When the fluttering or fibrillation happens and it isn't corrected right away, the person loses heart function quickly. Sudden cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death in the US - between 200,000 and 300,000 people die every year. Quite a sobering statistic. And while I wasn't superfan of Michael Jackson, I find his death incredibly sad. I, like many other people, loved his early stuff before he got so odd. Hopefully the medical people can figure out exactly what happened to him so that his family can get some answers.

Well, that's about it for now. Wish me luck on Wednesday!!! This doctor comes highly recommended, so hopefully he's good. Lord knows I'm not a good patient!! ;)

To Andy

It was a summer evening in June of 1997. I had just graduated from high school and Kevin had finished his first year of college at the technical school in our home town. It was a humid night without much of a breeze. The crickets were chirping and there were lightning bugs out. It would have been like any other summer night, except that it wasn't. Everyone was home because Andy was sick and he was getting worse fast. The doctors had tried everything and there was nothing more to be done. He passed away that night in his sleep. Outside the lightning bugs still lit the night and the crickets still chirped.

I guess it's weird that I only write about Andy on/near the anniversary of his death in June. It's not that I only think about him then or that it hurts to remember him. I think about him a lot. I guess the pain and shock of those first few months after his passing have been dulled and replaced with a quieter kind of sadness that creeps in when I'm not paying attention. Sure it's harder on birthdays, anniversaries or holidays when it's more noticable that someone is missing. But someone will always be missing. He exists only in the memories of those who knew him, a happy and gentle spirit. This is the twelfth anniversary of his death. His name was Andy Reimer. He was 45 years old when stomach cancer took his life.

Andy was one of the best people I knew - that a lot of people knew. Lots of people remember him in different ways, but if you knew him you loved him. He was a happy man with a HUGE personality who would do anything for anybody. He did lots of good things while he was on this earth, but if you asked him I bet he'd tell you his greatest accomplishment was his family. He would be so proud of his boys and all nine of his grandchildren if he were here today. It is a complete tragedy that they'll all grow up without knowing their grandfather. But we make sure to tell them all the stories about him! And there are so many!!

After twelve years, Andy's memory is still strong and so is our family. We have him to thank for that. He may have left us too soon as those who mean the most to us often do, but he left us with a legacy of love and strength and for that I am so grateful.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!!!

Just a quick post with a tear jerker slideshow here! Today is my son Ethan's 9th birthday and I just cannot believe it. I can remember as clear as yesterday bringing him home. All 6 lbs 4 oz of him!! He was so little and sweet. He slept through the night by six weeks old and was probably the best baby ever. He is still a really great kid. He's a quiet, deep thinker but also a total goofball like his dad. But he has my need for alone time and my quick temper. Sorry, Ethan!!!

So anyways, here's a very quick slideshow I put together of pictures I could find!! These are my two fave songs about being a parent. Super sappy, but super true!!! Happy birthday, EThan!!! I love you more than you will ever know!!!