Southerners Attempt Sledding

Last week we got what we consider to be a big snow (in the neighborhood of 4 inches).  The anticipation was intense.  As soon as the kids caught wind that it might snow they began making their plans for snow angels, snowmen, and snowball fights.

After J went to work, we all bundled up and headed outside.  Within the blink of an eye all of the kid's well-laid plans were quickly abandoned.  Greg, our next door neighbor's son, walked over, placed a snow saucer in C's hands, and told him about a great place to sled behind our houses.  C ran over to me and wanted to go sledding immediately.  There was one little problem though. I'm from South Carolina - I don't know anything about sledding.  So with visions of the snow sled scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation running through my head, I went looking for a little instruction.  I found Roberta, Greg's mom, on her porch.  And after laughing at my Southern naivete, she explained that you sled like you would slip-n-slide; you run, jump on your belly, and slide down the hill.

So off we go, traipsing across her backyard with disc in hand.  I tell C and G that I want to try it first, just to be safe...well, THAT and I wanted to get the first turn...like I said I've never been sledding before :)  How'd this Southern Girl's first sledding experience go?  All I can say is that I sincerely hope I do not see myself in a You Tube video gone viral - as I'm quite sure that it was quite the scene to behold.  I tried, several times, to run, jump, and slide...all I ever ended up with was a face and a shirt full of snow - NOT. A. FAN!

We ended up settling on a method doesn't require so much coordination on Mommy's part...it's called the "sit and shove" method :)

C giving G the ol' heave-ho (you'll notice he fell on the ground - guess he got his momma's coordination)

And a few other sledding pictures

C ended up getting in that much discussed snow angel

Thankfully, despite a few less-than-graceful moments, no sled-related injuries were sustained!

An Unlikely Personal Trainer

J and C have a great relationship.  C absolutely adores his daddy and wants to spend as much time with him as possible.  In C’s mind, “If Daddy is doing it, then it must be something worth doing, and I want to do it too.”  Thankfully, J welcomes the attention and freely invites C, along with the inconveniences that can sometimes come with a very active and inquisitive preschooler, to participate in all sorts of activities ranging from trips to the home improvement store, working in the garage, to exercising with J’s new P_90_X videos.

For those that don’t know, P_90_X is an extreme fitness video program that J has decided to try out as part of his New Year’s Resolution to get in shape.  Last night was J’s first workout, and he invited C to exercise with him.  OH. MY. GOODNESS!  You would have thought that J had just told C we were going to D*sney World!  C was beside himself with excitement!  He took off running to his room.  Before we knew it he had returned to the bonus room in his “exercise shirt” (a tank top). Before I had a chance to tell him it was too cold to wear a tank top, he informed me that “this is what you have to wear to exercise, Mommy…it’s an exercise shirt.”  (As a side note, J and I have no idea where he got the idea that you have to work out in a tank top…we’ve never mentioned it and he’s never been to a gym.)  Anyhow, he was so stoked about wearing his “exercise shirt” that I didn’t have the heart to make him change.  C can be a very “black and white” kind of kid.  Exercising in anything other than an “exercise shirt” just would not do.   

Once the video began, I left the room as I have NO INTEREST in anything dubbed an “extreme fitness program.”  I’m a wimp, the whole concept goes against my nature.  But as I understand it, they had a great time exercising.  C worked out right alongside J the whole time.  I came back just before the video was over and snapped a few shots of C exercising.

Inclined Push-Ups

More Push-Ups

Crunches

Interestingly enough after they were finished J said that having C there really helped motivate him through the hard parts.  C was so excited about doing the exercises that it kept things fun.  Add to that the fact that C was unknowingly talking smack...

“Daddy, that woman on the video is doing that WAY faster than you.”  

AND

“Daddy, that man on the video is still exercising.  Why are you laying on the floor?”

left J with no choice but to keep pressing on!  :)

NEWMANNNNNNN!

Did you watch Sienfeld?  If you did, you probably remember Newman...he was a weasely little man that lived down the hall and was forever out to "get" Jerry. Well, I'm very fortunate in that I don't have a person like Newman in my life. I guess I'm blessed like that :)  But I still have my very own Newman in the form of a hall bath.  I know it sounds weird, but it is true.  This room has been a thorn in my side ever since we moved in!  Allow me to elaborate...

Despite the fact that it is one of the smallest rooms in our house, it has presented us with more challenges than we could have ever anticipated:

• very unpleasant wall colors that were masking a wallpaper removal project gone TERRIBLY wrong (I now HATE wallpaper and the color lavender) 
• absolutely atrocious cat stains and odors that presented themselves shortly after moving in (I now strongly dislike cats - I know that's not fair, but I don't really care)
• two different unresolved plumbing issues that damaged the vanity and ceiling above the shower (fear not, I still like plumbing :)

As if that stuff isn't enough - it would seem that Newman doesn't really like to be worked on either.  When J was attempting to eradicate the pet stain and odor issues, the tool he was using to sand the sub-floor gave up and caught fire - NOT COOL!  When we were prepping the room to repair the walls and repaint, the mirror fell and broke the toilet tank lid. That didn't seem so bad until we realized that you can't just go to L*wes and buy a new toilet tank lid - you have to buy a whole new toilet.  Thankfully, J ended up finding a replacement lid from a very peculiar man who salvages old toilets for parts. J would tell you that the "toilet graveyard" experience was most assuredly NOT COOL!

As I mentioned a week or so ago, we are in the process of doing some renovations on this bathroom.  I have to say, things have gone really smoothly- almost surprisingly so - until today!  While painting the crown molding that J put up on Saturday, the lamp I was using for extra light fell off of the ladder's paint tray and BROKE that blasted toilet tank lid!  AGAIN?!?!  SERIOUSLY!?!?  

I don't think there is any chance of me getting J to go back to the "toilet graveyard" so I guess that means we are getting a new toilet.

NEWMANNNNNNNN!

Qualities I Admire Most...

As I was watching J install crown molding in our hall bath on Saturday, I was reminded of a few of his qualities that I admire most.  Any carpenter will tell you that even in the best of circumstances installing crown molding can be challenging, especially your first attempt.  One must learn the art (and it IS definitely an art) of cutting and fitting together mitered corners and coped joints (making the molding fit together like puzzle pieces at the corners).  Once the corners have been fashioned, installation involves balancing a piece of molding in one hand and nail gun (not a light object) in the other all while standing on a ladder working above your head.  Add to that the fact that our hall bathroom provides a FAR from perfect working environment with its uneven ceilings and not even close to square corners - this project was a major undertaking.  I wasn’t worried though.  Past experience has taught me that my husband will persevere through most any project despite set-backs, frustrations, and even fatigue.  This man DOES . NOT . GIVE . UP! 

He was aware of most of these “issues” in the bathroom before he started.  Now, if it had been me – that would have been the beginning and the end of that particular DIY idea.  NO WAY would I have knowingly embarked upon such a challenging project by choice.  But not J, he has CONFIDENCE to step out and try something difficult.

If he runs into a problem he doesn’t anticipate, he doesn’t panic, he PERSEVERES WITH PATIENCE, improvising, thinking outside the box and coming up with what I consider to be some really ingenious solutions.  About mid-way through this project he was finishing up the installation of the single longest run of molding.  This particular piece was really cooperating and looked GREAT.  Unfortunately, once J worked his way down to the corner end with the nail gun, he realized the piece was just a touch too long.  UGGGHHH!  In my mind he was faced with only one option…rip the whole thing down (damaging the wall and possibly ruining the piece of molding – which is not cheap).  My response, had I been him, would have been to either #1 – sit on the floor and cry like a baby or #2 have a BIG ‘ol temper tantrum with lots of yelling and screaming.  Not J, he thinks for a minute or two and decides that he just needs to pull the corner end away from the wall and use an oscillating saw  (kind of like a Dr*mel) to cut just a a little bit off of the end.  This is a great plan, but it was important not to bend the molding out too much because it can break easily.  So, he comes up with this “wedge”…

The end result was a perfect fit…with no tears or tantrum, imagine that!?!

After a long day of hard work, I’m proud to say that the molding is installed and looks GREAT.  I’m actually a little nervous about painting it – I hope I can do it justice.

If J only exhibited these qualities during some random home improvement project every once in awhile, none of this would be worth mentioning .  But the truth is, I witness these same qualities in J day in and day out – in the mundane, relatively unimportant home improvement projects to the very serious, critical, life-changing circumstances that life brings. 

As I’ve been reflecting on all of this, two of my favorite Psalms of Ascent have come to mind repeatedly:

Psalm 121 – My Help Comes From the Lord – Jason knows this and it gives him CONFIDENCE to PERSEVERE and face the “hills” that come in life without panicking – in other words, it gives him “a capacity for hard things” (a saying that I LOVE and have borrowed from Susan Shepherd, Bible study teacher at my church).   

And

Psalm 128: 1- 2 - Productive labor is a BLESSING from the Lord!  God gave J many talents, skills, and a fortitude to keep plugging along like I've never seen.  And THAT is something for which I am very thankful!

With A Straight Face

The other day, J and I were having a conversation with C about the importance of being kind when playing with friends.  Specifically, that it isn't kind to leave someone out just because they get on your nerves or you think they have wronged you in some way.  I was in full-on Mommy mode - trying my best to take advantage of this "teachable moment" and impart some little pearl of wisdom to my listening son.  The authors of the parenting books on my bookshelf would have been proud.  There was talk of Grace, forgiveness, patience, doing to others as we would have done to us, all good stuff - right?!?! Well, I thought so, but that all ended when C looked me right in the eye and said (sincerely):

"But Mommy, it is easy to be NICE to him when I DON'T play with him."

And THAT was the end of THAT - the last few moments of that conversation were J and me trying our best to maintain a straight face...we'll try again next time :)

Number 1005 Your Order Is Ready

For Christmas G received a pretend kitchen play set, complete with oven, stove, sink, pots, pans, and food.  Every little girl's dream.  And as expected, she immediately set to preparing just about every pretend meal that you can imagine (and more than a few that you'd probably rather not).  

C's imaginary play involving this kitchen was a little bit more original.  I walked in the other day and he was leaning over the kitchen with his mouth up to the hot/cold faucet handle (i.e. pretend microphone) yelling "Number 1005 your order is ready!"  It was pretty funny - and he gets points for creativity - but I'm thinking that might be a sign that we eat just a little too much Cookout and Bojangles.  We are gonna have to work branching out to places without microphones...sounds like a good New Years Resolution to me :)

And FYI, the aforementioned "Order Number 1005" is in his right hand - it was, in his words, a "Hot Dog Ice Cream Cone."  My question - What would possess this VERY picky eater to cook up a Hot Dog Ice Cream Cone?!?!  EWWWWW!

Celebrating the New Year – DIY Style

Several years ago, J and I started a ringing in the  New Year in a way that seems to have developed into an annual tradition.  We don’t consciously plan it this way, but like birds fly south and water flows downhill, it just always seems to happen.  It starts a few days after Christmas when we (or maybe more accurately I) start thinking/talking about some home improvement project that “NEEDS” to be done.  Next comes the necessary trip(s) to the home improvement stores (I’m convinced that this aspect alone is why J agrees to any of these projects).  Then, before you know it, it is New Year's Eve and we are up to our elbows in paint and/or construction debris, the kids are watching entirely too much TV, and our dog is drugged up on Benadryl so she won’t have a heart attack from the fireworks.  AHHHH…Happy New Year, Honey!

Typically, our New Year's endeavors are relatively straightforward painting and decorating projects.  This year’s project, however, is a little more daunting involving painting, drywall repair, plumbing and finish carpentry.  I blame my newfound confidence and ambition on my obsession with HGTV…they make it look sooooo easy :) 

This year's project room is the hall bath.  Our plans are to scrape the popcorn off of the ceiling and repaint smooth, put up crown molding, paint the vanity and change out the faucet to one that the kids can use without assistance.

As of this minute the popcorn is down, drywall is being prepped, and the vanity has been primed.  Here are a few pictures, in case you are interested…

Before...

Prepping to remove popcorn

I asked J if he had a face mask I could use before I started sanding the drywall.  C and G heard my question and brought me these..."Here are some masks, Mommy."  :)

Popcorn down and ceiling drying...

Happy New Year!