Huntresses

Shhhh....

Be very very quiet.

Make no sudden moves.

We are hunting flies.

We are tearing around the house like maniacs on the hunt.

We are hoping that our little tiny kitten hunting squeaks will scare the flies into submission.

We don't know why they keep flying away. We just want to play.

What a lazy Sunday!

I tried so hard to get things done this weekend... just didn't happen. I woke up at 9, and went downstairs and had breakfast. Then fell asleep on the couch until about noon. At that point, it started raining, and it stayed gray and rainy all afternoon. I played with some scrapbooking stuff, and watched Bridget Jones' Diary on A&E, and that was really about the highlight of my day!

Since I haven't posted any cute kitten pictures lately, here's one of Lefty with a toy I have taken to calling 'Fred' (because 'fuzzy-thing-on-a-stick' is just too long). Fred is actually a fuzzy spider on the end of a fuzzy rope on the end of a plastic stick that my parents sent to the cowgirls once their cat stopped playing with toys. Lefty **loves** Fred, but I think he insults Dusty's intelligence. Dusty prefers plain string-on-a-stick. But Lefty drags Fred all over ... up the stairs, down the stairs, under the bed. She picks Fred up like I imagine a dog would. It just cracks me up to see her dragging him!

Catching Up

The kitchen is painted! We did go with Havana Cream. Here are some pictures - not sure how accurately it represents the color.



We moved almost all of the remaining cabinets out to the garage, and Greg's going to smooth out the floor leveling a little bit more, and then we'll be ready for cabinet installation! We carpooled to work on Friday, and as we were pulling out of the driveway when a van pulls up and stops in front of our house -- much to our surprise, it was the cabinet installer, thinking we had agreed to Friday. But Greg hadn't talked to the guy in a week. He said he tried to call the house on Thursday night (which caller ID revealed he did), but Greg was painting ... and the phone with the answering machine was unplugged. Regardless, there was no way we could do it on Friday. Which probably means he'll push us out a few weeks.

The cats have been tolerating being temporarily banished much better than expected. We have to close them in the guest room (with food, water, and litterbox of course!) for a couple of hours every now and then to get things done in the kitchen. Every now and then I'll see paws coming out from under the door, but they're not afraid of the guest room yet.

I ran some errands this afternoon, and ran into Alan and Kim at Office Max (I think... I can't keep the names of all the office stores straight!), and got to meet their new little girl, Helen. What a cutie! I was looking for transparencies for my clear album, but anything you can print on costs ~ $1 per sheet... and they seem to come in boxes of 50 or more. I eventually found a 25 pack somewhere else. (Office Depot?)

Did some random errands. We got some coupons in the mail for a new chain of grocery stores that they've been building for the last year or so around here called Bloom. I didn't look around too much, so I couldn't really attest to its being a "different kind of grocery store." At some point, I'd like to try the little scanners that you carry around with you to ring up your order yourself. Don't think it would save me anytime, but it would be fun. :) I was there on a mission, though - to stock up on my latest obsession - fruit water and vitamin water. I know what you're thinking, and I agree. But I was looking at my new year's resolutions recently, and one of them was to drink more water to try to curb my soda consumption. Since I'm not making much progress on those other resolutions, I'm allowing myself this indulgence.

I was looking for a new toothbrush holder/water glass for the bathroom at Bed, Bath and Beyond (our glass broke in a middle-of-the-night incident) when I found these dryer balls. They're supposed to replace dryer sheets (which replaced fabric softener in our house). By fluffing your laundry, they're supposed to cut drying time, too. I'm not holding my breath, but I'll let you know. Yup, I'm a sucker.

My cousin Aimee had her baby on July 4! He was something like 9 weeks early - yikes - and 3 lbs, 4 oz! Sounds like everyone is doing ok, though, but he will likely be in the hospital for the next couple of months. Can't wait to meet little Jeffrey Ronald!

Trying to relax and do it all at the same time

Still recovering from this cold/allergy thing. I'm still congested to the point where I can't do a whole lot of breathing through my nose. I've been trying to avoid the decongestants still because I've just been so tired, and they wake me up all night. If I still feel like this in the morning, I may try another one. I don't feel as out of it as I did late last week, but things definitely got worse before they started getting better. I'm still convinced allergies were a part of it, as it felt like I had asthma on Sunday and Monday. My breathing is a bit better today.

Being sick and having class got me out of helping Greg get the primer up on the kitchen on Monday and Tuesday. I finally sucked it up and helped get the first coat of paint up on the wall tonight. We're hoping to get away with 2 coats - it's looking promising.

Greg took a bit of a spill tonight after failing to heed his own warning sign. So, the air duct was covered by a thin sheet of cardboard... which was unfortunately covered by the drop cloths. Greg set the ladder on top and started climbing, and the next thing I knew he was on the floor on his back. He scraped his leg a bit, and took a paint bath, but seems ok otherwise. Poor guy will probably be sore tomorrow.

Pictures later. I'm beat and still have homework to do.

Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs

Greg has gotten me addicted to these two shows on the Discovery Channel. With all the work in the kitchen, a lot of times we turn on the tv for background noise. And these two shows are pretty much on the Discovery Channel all day Saturday and Sunday, so I watch episode after episode. Can't get enough! Am I the only one?

I hate being sick!

The decongestant that the doctor prescribed last week turned my nose into a non-stop faucet; by Friday night, my nose had been rubbed raw (and now is peeling!). In addition, the medicine wakes me up during the night... multiple times. (Clairitin has the same effect on me.) So, I decided to stop taking it on Saturday because I really felt like I needed an antihistamine to stop whatever allergic reaction I was having. So started the allergy medicine on Saturday, and it made a huge difference - I finally stopped sneezing and my head started drying out. Plus, I slept through the night! But when I woke up Sunday morning, I could feel some of the congestion moving down into my lungs. I didn't take anything all day, until a little while ago - I took another decongestant, to try to loosen things up and keep them from settling in my lungs. Probably also means another lousy night of sleep. But at least now the allergies are better, so hoping I don't go through another box of tissues in 24 hrs!

Clear Albums

They're all the rage these days. I'm thinking about trying one. Found this link on Two Peas for an online class that Christine is going to do. I'm thinking about just getting the clear album and trying to use other stuff I have rather than order MORE stuff. Should be cool, though!

What's been up at our house

1. Allergies and/or an upper respiratory viral thing. I had a really sore throat starting on Tuesday, and finally went to the doctor on Thursday afternoon. No sign of infection or strep, but I can't go anywhere without a box of tissues. I seriously went through about 1/3 of the box at work today. I'm not sure if it's me or the pollen, but my allergies have been like this for the past year or so - I get a really really bad attack where I'm pretty much useless. Just so congested my whole head hurts.

2. The cabinets came on Thursday! They're in cardboard boxes in the garage. Most intruiging are the boxes labeled "FRAGILE - GLASS," as we didn't order any glass...

Greg called the installer on Thursday, and he said he could come out today (Friday) or Saturday, but there was just no possible way we could be ready... So it will probably be a week or two before he can get out here.

3. My rearview mirror leaked on me. On Sunday afternoon, when I got in the car, I noticed a "bubble" in the mirror, and it was really blurry to see out of - double images and everything. Well, on Tuesday, when I was leaving work, I noticed that the bubble was gone. Shortly after, I noticed the oil drops on the cup holder and shifter. As I was trying to figure out where it was coming from (and driving), I went around the corner, and it dripped two big fat drops on my favorite khakis. Sigh. Just about all the oil is out now (no more drips) and it's actually a lot easier to see out of now. I suppose it will have to be replaced eventually.

4. Classes started again. 5.5 more weeks of fun. This one is called "information systems," but is kind of more of a project management class, which is interesting, but a bit more "fluffy." It doesn't sound like it's going to be awful, but they never do, right?

Music for Steve and Steph

Steve asked me for some advice about "going country." I'll have to be upfront and admit that my "country" tastes are really a little more folk/bluegrass with just a little bit of country. Love Dixie Chicks and Johnny Cash (and yes, I'll admit it - I even really like Joaquin Phoenix/Reese Witherspoon covers on the Walk the Line soundtrack.)

Some additional recommendations...

• Robert Earl Keen (try Then Came Lo Mein, That Buckin' Song)
  
• Blue Dogs (that was the Watchful Cow song I sent you)
  
• Cigar Store Indians (less country, more of what Greg calls "rockabilly")
  
• Lyle Lovett (Greg's recommendation; Greg also insists that I point out that he was Robert Earl Keen's college roommate)
  
• Nickle Creek - I like their older stuff better

Let me know what you think of those and I'll try to think of what else we have that we like.

It's the 5th of July ... and I'm feelin' independent

The title is from one of my favorite Eddie From Ohio songs, and in honor of that, today's post is about what I've recently downloaded from iTunes. (and if you're not listening to Eddie yet, RUN, don't walk. Just so much fun to listen to!)

Call me a dork, but I really dig Garrison Keillor's taste in music. I first heard Chris O'Brien, Jaryd Lane, and Jon Troast on Prairie Home Companion, so those were my first downloads. (iTunes classifies Chris O'Brien and Jon Troast as "folk" and Jaryd Lane as "country.") I'm really digging Chris O'Brien... love the song "Rosa."

Then I noticed the "based on what you bought, we recommend..." thing where I found Death Cab for Cutie. Always been turned off by the name, but I'd read somewhere (Newsweek?) lately saying that they weren't just for my younger, cooler brother anymore, so I decided to try it. Pretty cool.

Chris O'Brien is right before Counting Crows in my alphabetical playlist, and I've really rediscovered a love for them lately.

Ah, and the soundtrack to Garden State is on my short list lately, too.

Happy 4th!

Tagged

Beth tagged me, so I've had to come up with 7 random facts about myself to post. (Yes, I've been thinking about them for a week.)

1. I love cereal. I am obsessed with it. I could eat it day and night. My favorite dessert is cereal. Currently in the rotation are Cheerios with honey, Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds, Kashi's Heart to Heart, Post Banana Nut Crunch, and Honey Gone Nuts (bulk) granola.

2. I have this weird, apparently hereditary, swallowing problem sometimes. My dad says he has it, too. Sometimes, food just gets stuck in my throat, and I can't swallow. Nothing helps but time ... and occasionally having to gag myself. I've had it checked out - xrays and all - but they've never found anything. It definitely is more likely to happen with dry foods - rice and bread can be my arch nemesis. I think it also happens when I haven't had enough to drink. The frequency kind of comes and goes. Happened last week when we were out to dinner with friends -- always fun when it's in public. But it had probably been a month or two since the last time.

3. I am a strange mix of the Type A and Type B personality. Bet you thought you couldn't be both! My type A side is incredibly neurotic - I like things done my way, and I'd much rather do them myself than have someone else do them. I like organization and rules and structure. But I don't have a competitve bone in my body. I'm very laid back ... usually.

4. I go grocery shopping once a week. That's it. I plan out meals, go through the sales circulars, and go to the store on Sunday. (See #3).

5. I am a hoarder. (See #1, #3) Of strange things. (It's not just scrapbooking stuff!) I'm a bit ashamed to admit that we are still using the Christmas hand soap I bought. And that the stack of cereal in the pantry is 3 feet tall. And that I have enough shampoo to last until I don't have hair anymore.

6. I hate the heat. I hate summer. Winter can't come soon enough. I like to be cold. I like to be cold when I get in bed because I love to sleep covered in blankets. I hate that I wake up hot. And it's not all psychological - too much heat makes my chest break out in hives.

7. I am allergic to cats, dogs, and horses. Yes, cats. Doesn't that just prove how much I love Dusty and Lefty? My allergies have improved since we got them. Oh, and I found out about the horses after I'd been on one.

Guest Designer Layouts for Coordinates Collections

The "Home Sweet Home" one is a gift card holder.

July is here!

I harvested 4 tomatoes yesterday, and there's one more that's almost ready... and tons of little green tomatoes out there! Honestly, I'd been afraid to go out there lately - I keep forgetting to water them, and it's been so hot and dry. The plants don't look fabulous, but they're still alive. I did water them yesterday, but we really could use some rain! The rain is so spotty this time of year - it could fall in a downpour and stay dry on the next street over. Thunderstorms have been all around the past few days, but we haven't gotten much of anything. It's so nice, though, when the clouds roll in around 3pm - it makes such a difference in the temperature of the house when it's cloudy at that time of day!

The kitchen cabinets are all empty! All of the lower cabinets have been pulled in toward the center of the kitchen, and Greg has started taking down some of the upper ones. We're planning on leaving them in the kitchen only as long as we can confirm that all of the new ones will fit in the garage. Greg cleaned out the garage on Saturday, and pushed everything up against the walls, so we THINK there's room... but there's only one way to find out... Cabinets should be here Thursday afternoon.


Dusty and Lefty have been having a grand old time in the kitchen the past few days - so many new things to see! Plus, they're never been allowed IN the cabinets before. I had to take a drawer out of one of them yesterday, and that started the kitten gymboree. Next thing I know, someone climbed up the cabinet and went in through the drawer hole. They quickly learned to get themselves out by hanging on the bottom of the drawer hole and pushing their feet against the door.

The absolute funniest thing, though, was when I was standing in front of one set of cabinets, waiting to get a good picture of Dusty's head through the drawer hole, when, all of a sudden, the drawer next to me opens. I couldn't stop laughing. I had NO IDEA Lefty was in the other cabinet at the time! The doors were closed, and I don't know how she got in there, unless she went in and closed the door behind her!

We decided on a paint color, and went back to Home Depot tonight, but got there about 10 minutes after they closed. Maybe tomorrow.