"Mom, You're My Best Friend"

And I just thought that our first home was an important milestone. When he said that, I nearly fell outta the loft bed, which, by the way, is where I spend a lot of time these days.


And now for the announcement of the most important Goosebumps' event since 2004 ...

WE HAVE DSL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND A DISHWASHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which I've been discouraged from using due to the preciousness of water and the high cost of energy ... photo unavailable.)

AND A FOUNTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You'd think that I'd be overjoyed. And I was for the first few days. Until I realized that the previous owner of the house had a redheaded voodoo doll with labelled pins in it: (1) faulty gas pipes connecting to faulty gas oven bought at Sears resale shop; (2) Hidden dog poop in the backyard; (3) Impossible-to-remove wallpaper; (4) fountains that double as Potential Preschool Drowning Zones; etc.

Here are some before and after shots. Please note that we have no wall decor of yet. It's still in boxes with our underwear. BUT THE WINDOWS ARE DRESSED DADGUMMIT.

Kitchen:




The master bedroom:



The (only) Bathroom:



View of dining from living:



JEB (no BEFORE of this one):

Sacked out in his unmatched socks. For 3.5 hours he naps. What will I ever do when His Master Giveth Up the Siesta?


Wall art by Aunter Amer.


Working on the loft bed with a ratchet.


Unpacking.


Helping Dad with the bookshelves where Mama stuck all the junk.

We don't have any pictures of the outside (except the fountain), but it's a red brick ranch with the brightest TEAL shutters you have ever seen.

But they're OUR teal shutters.

And starting next month, we have to pay for it, which I find to be absurd when viewed in addition to the bills. Highway Robbery.

In other news, we all have colds which we hope will not turn into pneumonia even though 2/3 of us have been exposed.

Wednesday as I was exiting JEB's school, his teacher was walking in with her red-faced, crying, excessively snotty two-year old. When I asked why he was crying, she casually replied, "He has pneumonia." And then, later that day, while I was at work stewing about it, the director of the school sends a mass email warning us about sending children to school with clear signs of communicable diseases. So of course I hit "reply." But God was taking care of me, because later that day when I thought, "Hmm ... maybe I should check my sent mail folder and read that email I sent, it was GONE." Apparently it mysteriously never left my computer, so I'm taking it as a sign to keep my mouth shut about the obscene hypocrisy.

And so when we all developed sore throats and stuffy noses today, I really had to bite my tongue. Brian seems to have developed the worst case. And likely his is exacerbated by the fact that he's too stubborn to buy a car and continues to bike everywhere. Not that I have any strong opinions on the matter.

Al Gore should not have won that Nobel prize. It should have gone to ME for putting up with this obstinate tree hugger with whom I live.

This will have to do for now, Frenchy.

O&U,
k