I know Sanford had a Son, but do you think he had a Daughter?

Folks, I have taken one step down the slippery slope. The slippery slope that is.....TRASH-PICKING!! (dun dun dun)

Last Wednesday (trash day in our neighborhood) I was out running errands in the morning, before the garbage truck had made all its rounds. I happened to be driving through the neighborhood when something caught my eye...I literally did a three-point turn in the middle of the road to get back to it. I found this dresser sitting out on the curb next to a garbage bin. It looked to be in okay condition, so I hopped out and checked it out a little further--a little wobbly, needs new handles and a new paint job, but otherwise okay.

I've never trash-picked before, so I wasn't sure of the proper etiquette, but I decided to knock on the door of the house to ask if I could have it, just so I wouldn't get reported to the police for garbage theft. No one was home, so I decided to take it, permission or not!

Getting the dresser in the car was a little tricky because I had the stroller with me, so I had to move Maren's chair over, put the stroller on its side in the middle seat with her and then the dresser in the back cargo area. Luckily it is small and light enough so that I could carry it over to the back of the car and slide it in by myself.

Once I get it refinished and have new knobs put on, I'm going to put this in one of my spare bedrooms and I think it will be cute. I was actually on the lookout for a small dresser for the room, and had been watching for a cheap one at thrift stores and garage sales. Lucky for me I found one at my favorite price--Free-ninety-free!

Tomorrow's trash day, so maybe I'll take a quick look through the neighborhood in the morning for any *treasures* people might have mistaken for trash. I've got the fever...the Trash-Pickin' Fever! (hey, isn't that a country song?)

Paint my walls and call me Silly Putty

Last summer, I had some painting done in my house. It was no small amount--2 bedrooms, including one ceiling and one closet, and my large front room that has two-story ceilings and goes up a staircase. I had a less-than-stellar experience, which I shall not enumerate now as just thinking about it makes my blood boil. I chose two colors for the front room: a deep crimson that I really like, and what I hoped would be a Nice Neutral but what turned out to be the exact shade of Silly Putty. Or Band-Aids. It's peachy. It's pinky. It's horrible.

I'm finally to the point where I want to have the front room repainted, partly because we have company coming next week and I want the house to look nice. A friend lent me a can of the paint from her living room, and it is just the right Nice Neutral that I had hoped for in the first place.

For the last two weeks, I've been getting estimates from painters to do the job, something I failed to do the first time around. I wanted to do due diligence so I could feel confident in my choice, because I really can't afford to be screwing up again--that was one expensive mistake I made the first time.

• Painter #1 came a day earlier than expected. Very professional, wrote everything out in detail which leaves little room for miscommunication a problem that plagued me the first time around. Quote: $395.00, plus I have to purchase 3 gallons of paint to the tune of about $70.00.
• Painter #2 came two days later than expected, after many excuses and apologetic phone calls. Showed up 10 minutes before I told him I had to leave the house. Looked around briefly, didn't write anything down. Quote: $350.00, including paint.
• Painter #3 came early for the appointment, but started things out by asking to borrow a wire coat hanger, as she'd just locked her keys in the car. Not a good sign. Looked around and gave me an estimate of $1980.00 and said I'd need 8-10 gallons of paint (included in the cost).

No, I did not make a mistake typing that. She honestly quoted me almost TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS, which is $1600 more than the previous quotes, and almost $1000 more than it cost me to get a much larger amount of painting done last summer. And 8-10 gallons of paint? What, are they going to do 6 coats? She told me they use exterior paint, because it's "practically bulletproof." Yes, I'm sure it is practically bulletproof, because you used 8-10 gallons and now it's 3 inches thick!

Quin was eating lunch as she gave us the quote, and I thought he might actually choke. I kept a straight face, but what I really wanted to do was ask her just exactly how many rocks of crack she is smoking and how often, because that is just EFFING insane.

About 15 minutes after she'd left, while we were still laughing about the incredulity of the quote, she called back, and said that she'd made a mistake on our quote. Oh good, I thought. This should clear everything up, I knew she must have been mistaken. It was actually supposed to be $1480, rather than $1980. $500 less than the first estimate. Mmmkay. Still about $1000 too high, you nutso. But thanks anyway.

I went with Painter #1. He's coming Monday. I'm thrilled.

Gimme some sugar

Sunday after church as I was cooking dinner, Maren was rummaging in the pantry and found a half-full sack of brown sugar. It was one of those bags with the built-in Ziploc zipper at the top, you know, to Seal In Freshness. Well, those seals may keep out stale air, but they don't keep out babies! Maren managed to get the bag open and dump almost all of the sugar right in the middle of the kitchen floor. Bronco thought he'd died and gone to heaven, and proceeded to lick as fast as he could while I grabbed his collar and physically dragged him back behind the gate.

Maren treated the sugar like her own personal sandbox, and stamped through the sand before running around the kitchen island, still clutching the bag like a trophy in her sugary little hand! She didn't get far, as the sugar stuck to her little bare feet and made them extremely slippery, so she slipped and slid all over the place. Quin and I laughed and laughed, and I'm so glad the camera was close!

Remind me to add 'brown sugar' to the grocery list.

Thrift store finds: Tuesday

After a long hiatus, I went out thrifting again this week. Here are my finds:

tin cup, $.39. I just liked the look of it.

old aluminum "Short'ning and ice cream spoon" $ .99. Love that spelling! This will go with my other vintage utensils.






Old yellow Pyrex dish, $2.00.

Vintage printed dishtowel, $ .99
















I think this is my favorite find of the day. This was $8.99. It looks like a window, but I think that it is actually a frame with molding added to the front to make it look like a window. I have been wanting to go to the architectural salvage place to get an old window to do this exact treatment to. I want to hang it by my front door. However, those old windows aren't cheap, and by the time I had mirrors cut to fit, I'd be in for WAY more than $8.99. I think I may paint this and distress it, or use a crackle finish or something fun. Then once the house painters come next week, I can hang it up! I'm pretty excited about this one!

Flowers & Freedom

Aren't I lucky? These are the beautiful flowers that Quin got me for our anniversary yesterday. Back when we were first dating, Quin secretly asked my roommates what my favorite flower was so that he could surprise me. I have always loved Gerbera daisies, and nearly every year since then, I have gotten a beautiful arrangement of them for one occasion or another. They make me smile every time I see them!

Tonight we've arranged for a baby sitter for Maren for a couple of hours so that we can go out by ourselves for the evening! This week she's been very Mom-clingy. If I leave the room or go out of her line of sight, she cries. She's not normally like this so I'm sure it's the discomfort of the teething, but I'm a little worried about how she'll behave for the sitter. If Maren is naughty, I may have to pay the sitter extra for Pain & Suffering.

Four Wonderful Years

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie! I love you!!

It all comes out in the wash

So, the Sears repairman came and fixed my washing machine to the tune of $192. Ouch. It was an easy fix, took approximately 5 minutes for him to install the new pump, for which I was charged something like $60. Man, I am SO in the wrong business. Even though it cost $192, if I'd decided to just get a new washer altogether, I would have been looking at $65 service fee+$399 new washer+8.1% sales tax+the time it takes to research washers, find one I like, buy it, have it delivered and installed+not be able to do laundry for who knows how long. In light of all this, I still feel like I came out ahead.

Bad night again for Maren last night. She was up 3 times and would fall asleep in my arms but wake up the moment I set her down. I just let her cry. Poor kiddo, I wish there was something more I could do for her. Darn little tooth.



Here's Maren yesterday with her new haircut and a new outfit. The jeans are from Baby Gap and they are supposed to be capris, but on Maren they go all the way down! They are 12-18 months, but they have this nifty adjustable waistband system so they actually fit her. They were expensive for baby clothes--$24.00, and I don't even think my jeans cost that much--but because they are adjustable and supposed to be capris, I think she'll be able to wear them all spring and summer and into the fall, so they were worth it. Plus they are just so darned cute!

Maren's First Haircut, and our trip to the Other Side

Maren has recently developed an aversion to wearing anything in her hair, resulting in the 'sheepdog' look for her most of the time. Her hair has gotten so long that it just hung in her face and drove me nuts! Yesterday Quin and I took her to get a haircut for the first time and she did just great--no tears or anything. We went to a place that specializes only in children's haircuts, so Maren got to sit in a cute little car while she was getting worked on. I had the stylist even up the sides and cut bangs on top to alleviate the sheepdog thing, and I thought it turned out pretty cute! With bangs and a 'hairdo' she looks so much more grown-up. I know she's almost 1, but she really is looking less and less like a baby. Walking, a mouth full of teeth, and a real haircut--yup, she's almost a toddler! It all looks a little incongruous, though, as she's still so tiny.

Happy to report that last night was much better than the night before. I still think Maren is teething, and today I caught a glimpse of what I think is the culprit for all this mess. Hope it pushes its way up quickly so we can be done with it.

Yesterday we had temperatures in the 70s...in February...in Colorado, not California! Amazing, when you consider it's still technically winter here for another month. After we got Maren's hair cut, we drove up to Boulder to visit an outdoor store Quin was interested in. The weather was warm, if a little windy, and it was nice to be outside.

Boulder has this downtown shopping area called Pearl Street that is blocked off for pedestrians and there are lots of shops and restaurants and homeless people hanging about. When they call it 'the People's Republic of Boulder'...folks, they aren't joking. It was seriously like being in another country! We were joking on the way up that we were venturing behind enemy lines--we are pretty much everything typical Boulder-ites are against: we drive an SUV, Quin works for the government and enjoys shooting things, we believe in God (and that God is a He, not a She), we do not advocate the use of mind-altering substances, etc. Quin said if approached by strange people, we should just yell "Free Tibet!" and run, and they'll never know we're imposters. I didn't think it would be all that different from Denver, but I was shocked that it really was. Maybe I was just hyper-aware or something, but it honestly was weird there.

Now I'm waiting around for the washing machine repair man to show up. I purposely scheduled the appointment between 8 am and noon because I know that during that time we don't go anywhere because that's when Maren and I get ready and then she goes down for a nap around 11. However, we came home yesterday to find a message that we got pushed back to the afternoon slot--12 to 3 pm. Boo. I have plenty of things to do around here, but it's just annoying. Hopefully, the washer will be easy to fix and won't be expensive. It's been leaking water for a while now, and I confess I've just been doing my laundry anyway and putting a towl around the base to soak up the water. My washer--a Kenmore--is such that you can't get the back off without first removing the top, front and sides, so I wasn't able to check the hoses myself to see if it was an easy fix. I'm out $65 for the service call no matter what, so hopefully it won't be a whole lot more than that--otherwise, we'll be getting a new washer. Ah, the joys of homeownership.

Sleepless nights

Bad night last night.

We noticed yesterday at church that Maren's cheeks were really flushed--like bright red--and her nose was a little runny. I worried that she might be getting sick, as there's a hacking cough going around. Anyway, last night Maren awoke at 1 something, so I fed her most of her bottle and she went back to sleep.

She woke up again at about 3:45 am. I could hear her playing in her crib for a little while, then the crying began. I got up again, but this time she was wide awake. I fed her the rest of the bottle (only about 2 oz) but when I put her back in her crib, she cried. So I sat in the rocker and held her on my chest for a while. She was so tired, but very restless and couldn't relax or keep still. Each time I thought she'd finally calmed down and I was safe to put her in her crib, she cried. So at that point, I took her into my bed and laid down with her on my chest. She still thrashed around, and woke Quin up. By this time it was about 4:30 am, and she was wide awake. I could tell her nose was runny, so Quin went to the bathroom and got a whole roll of TP so I could wipe her nose. Maren loves TP, so she happily went about shredding it, in the middle of our bed, at 4:30 in the morning.

Quin eventually went to put her (and the roll of TP) back in her crib, but she wouldn't have it, so he took her downstairs. He fed her and let her play while he laid on the couch and tried to rest. I was able to fall asleep for a little while, but she was cranky and cried a lot, so it kept me awake. Finally at 6 something I got up because she was crying and crying. I have to admit that I grabbed her, plunked her in her crib, shut the door, and just let her cry while Quin and I tried to sleep on the couch downstairs with the TV on to drown out the screaming. We were able to sleep for a couple more hours, but it was restless and unsatisfying.

So, now it's almost 10:00 pm and I'm actually dreading going to bed--afraid that tonight will turn out to be much like last night. We're not so sure Maren is sick--we think she might actually be teething again. This is just what happened when her first two teeth came in. It didn't happen with the top four, and I can't really see any more teeth on the bottom, but it's so similar to what happened last time. I just put Maren in her crib and although I know she is very tired, she's crying, so I think maybe she needs a hit of baby Motrin. I think I might need a hit of something myself.

More random stuff about me...

4 Jobs You Have Had in Your Life:
Bookseller, Secretary/Receptionist, Scrapbook store employee, office temp

4 Movies You Could Watch Over & Over:
The Goonies, The Breakfast Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Newsies

4 Places You Have Lived:
Utah, Savannah, El Paso, Denver

4 TV Shows You Love to Watch:
Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica (current version), Gilmore Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

4 Places You Have Been On Vacation:
Disney World, Hawaii, the Bahamas, California

4 Websites You Visit Daily:
www.twopeasinabucket.com, the Cooking Light bulletin board, www.lileks.com, www.gofugyourself.com

4 of Your Favorite Foods:
Tempura shrimp rolls at Sonoda's, masaman curry, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fritos

4 Places You’d Rather be Right Now:
Savannah or Charleston, On a beach anywhere, London, visting with my family

It's the little things that make me happy #401

An entire washload of PINK baby clothes. :)

Mommy's Little Rastafarian

My brother Kristjan is the consummate Bob Marley fan. When Maren was born he sent us this hilarious onesie with Bob's face adorning the front. It's still a little big for Maren, but I know Kristjan has been waiting a long time to see her in it, so we put it on the other morning and took a few snaps. Not sure what Maren is doing in the top picture--I know she wasn't crying; she was actually quite happy. Perhaps she's Getting Down With Her Bad Self, or doing some sort of Bob Marley wail. Couldn't tell you, really.

"CAN" I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day?

These are the little goodies I made for the ladies I Visit Teach. It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but they are actually made from those little cans that mandarin oranges come in; the kind with the pull-tab lid. But these cans contain Hershey's Kisses and Hugs, not fruit! Clever, no?

The trick is that you open them from the bottom using one of those can openers that removes the entire lid, not just cuts out the top. Put the treats inside, decorate the outside, and then glue the bottom back on. I'd be tickled to get something like this, but then I'm easily amused! Anyway, hope my VT ladies are equally pleased.

Hostess ain't got nuthin' on me

This, my friends, is heaven in a cupcake. Yellow cake (from a mix ), homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, filling, and holiday-appropriate sprinkles, of course.

I've had to use every ounce of restraint I possess to keep from gobbling these little beauties like they're going out of style.

Thrift store finds: last Friday

Found a few fun things this week:

Another vintage Christmas tablecloth. Unusual, since they put the Christmas stuff away until next year. Somehow this one escaped, and I'm glad for it! It does have a few spots, but it will be fine in a stack. Someday I will find a brilliant and clever way to display all of my tablecloths. I'm still working on that. For now, they're in a drawer.





I'd never seen these trays before until I started thrifting here in Colorado, but apparently they must have been a popular souvenir at some point, because I've seen them for nearly every state in the Union. At one point I thought maybe I should start collecting them, and bought a Minnesota tray on a whim. Then I realized that I was crazy, and what on earth would I ever do with a collection of these trays, and I haven't bought another since. Until Friday! I only bought it because it was a Utah tray, and I've been collecting Utah-themed souvenirs for a little while. I'll put this one with the rest of my Utah stuff in the guest room.










A cute (maybe vintage) crocheted potholder. It's in great shape, and the colors are fun and bright--yellow, red, and green--with the cutest crocheted rose on the front. Maybe I'll eBay this one.

Some random things about Me

This is in response to a journaling/blogging challenge posted by scrapladyb on Two Peas:

1. Where were you born?
I was born in Provo, Utah. My parents were students at Brigham Young University at the time. That's also where I went to school and where I met my husband.
2. Name something you've always wanted to do.
I've always wished I could do the splits! Sometimes I even have dreams that I can do the splits.
3. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be the kind of person who makes you feel good when you talk to them. Not sure if I'm explaining myself well, but I knew a person like that once and I always came away from our conversations feeling better about myself.
4. What's the number one problem we face in the world today?
People refusing to take personal responsibility for their actions.
5. If you could change the world, what would you do?
Get rid of scorpions, cockroaches and mosquitos, in that order. Make it just as easy and fun to lose weight as gain weight. Oh, and World Peace.
6. What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done?
Thawing meat on the counter instead of in the fridge? I don't know, I'm a pretty big wimp! Not much of a risk-taker, this one.
7. Favorite word?
Loquacious.

Say Chee----Hey! Get Back Here!

The photo at left is what resulted from Tuesday's "Maren is 10 Months Old Today" photo shoot. Sadly, it is the most representative photo of the day--Maren streaking out of the frame at full-speed. I foolishly thought I could handle both baby-wrangling and camera duties at the same time. You can see for yourself that I was sadly mistaken.

It is not coincidental that the number of photos I've taken of Maren has decreased inversely proportionate to how mobile she's gotten. Nowadays, everything's just one big blur. How the heck do those Kiddie Kandids folks do it?

Insult to Injury

So, the Broncos lost the big game on Sunday. I think the above photo of Maren accurately sums up the general sentiment around here on THAT subject.

To really pour salt in the wound, however, my Grandpa (who holds the season tickets that my brothers used for the game on Sunday) received a letter on Monday from the Broncos, stating that he'd been chosen in the lottery such that if the Broncos had won their game on Sunday, he'd have the option of buying 2 tickets TO THE SUPERBOWL.

Oh, that just sucks.

You're in Bronco Country

There's definitely some Bronco Fever going on at my house in preparation for the big game today! My brothers flew in from Salt Lake yesterday to go to the game, and it's so much fun to have them here visiting. Sadly for us, the game is at the exact same time we have church. I was thinking that maybe we could say we're going to learn about the Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil, and as an object lesson, we could watch the game. I doubt that will happen, though, so I'm hoping someone can at least give us score updates throughout Sunday School.




GO BRONCOS!!!!!!

Last night we had breakfast for dinner, so Maren got her first taste of pancake, and she loved it! She snarfed that and the scrambled egg down without hesitation. I love having breakfast for dinner--it seems so cozy, which was perfect for yesterday since it was snowy and cold all day. I made pancakes on my big griddle and fried bacon in my big cast iron skillet, then scrambled the eggs in the bacon grease. YUM! I love how it makes the house smell when I cook breakfast, specifically the bacon. It smells like Denny's, only without the additional and markedly less appetizing aromas of stale cigarettes and burnt coffee.

Tonight I'm tired and so I've just called in to order a pizza. We checked out a DVD from the library that is due back tomorrow, so we'll have a pizza and movie night. The movie is "The Great Raid", which is based on an event that happened in WWII when Rangers were called in to rescue American POWs from Cabanatuan in the Philippenes. The story is pretty amazing, so I hope the movie does it justice. If nothing else, it has Joseph Fiennes in it, and he's yummy.