Just when we thought our ceiling fan problems in were over in the kids' rooms, something has to prove us wrong.
This morning, Steve goes into DJ's room to say good morning and give DJ something to keep him occupied only to find that the overhead light (which is attatched to the ceiling fan) was already on.
Whaaaa...???
Now I know for a FACT that the light was off when I checked on the kids at midnight last night. I even turned the fan OFF in DJ's room so that he wouldn't get too cold. DJ was still in his crib, which is across the room from the ceiling fan/light remote control mounted on the wall where the old light switch was, and it's not like he could reach it if he had climbed out of his crib.
Needless to say, we're really confused. I wondered if the signals from the two remotes in each of the kids rooms are interfering with each other since they are the exact same model, but Steve confirmed that he set the frequencies differently.
Now I'm starting to wonder if the remote control to the ceiling fan in the master bedroom is interfering... or is there some other gremlin wreaking havoc with us???
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Steve vs. the Kitchen Drawer
I think all of our home project blogs are going to be named (family member) vs. (the home project).
On the day of DJ's birthday party in March, I pulled out one of the drawers in the kitchen and it completely collapsed off of the rails. ACK!
Off to Gnome Despot a week later (when we had time) to see if parts exist for such a fix. Steve finds what he thinks we need, and off we go. Of course, they weren't the right parts. Steve figured that the rails were right, but the supports were wrong.
Go figure, we got busy and didn't get back to Gnome Despot again until the ceiling fan project hit full swing. I'd stopped in Lowes for something else, but discovered I need to go to Gnome Despot to get the matching part for the rails. DJ was my companion that day, so he got lots of face time with hardware stores. LOL
This weekend, along with the ceiling fan project, Steve tackled the kitchen drawer project. First we had to gorilla glue the face of the drawer back on. It wasn't off, but wanted to reenforce it. Then with a remarkable number of non-cussing swear words, Steve managed to not only mount the rails, but mount them level. We have a working drawer again! YAAAAAAY!!!!
WTG Steve!
On the day of DJ's birthday party in March, I pulled out one of the drawers in the kitchen and it completely collapsed off of the rails. ACK!
Off to Gnome Despot a week later (when we had time) to see if parts exist for such a fix. Steve finds what he thinks we need, and off we go. Of course, they weren't the right parts. Steve figured that the rails were right, but the supports were wrong.
Go figure, we got busy and didn't get back to Gnome Despot again until the ceiling fan project hit full swing. I'd stopped in Lowes for something else, but discovered I need to go to Gnome Despot to get the matching part for the rails. DJ was my companion that day, so he got lots of face time with hardware stores. LOL
This weekend, along with the ceiling fan project, Steve tackled the kitchen drawer project. First we had to gorilla glue the face of the drawer back on. It wasn't off, but wanted to reenforce it. Then with a remarkable number of non-cussing swear words, Steve managed to not only mount the rails, but mount them level. We have a working drawer again! YAAAAAAY!!!!
WTG Steve!
Steaks vs. The Ceiling Fans
For all of you who don't know, the title of this blog is a direct reference to our currently favorite show, Chuck (http://chucktv.net/ is the best fan site). We are huge fans, and are ecstatic that NBC renewed it for 2010 after a much publicized Save Chuck campaign in which yours truly participated. The show is hilarious in that it clearly doesn't take itself seriously, makes fun of Best Buy, spies, and yet tosses in a little bit of drama and action to make a light hearted show anyone can watch. Anyway, all of the show's episode titles are in the form of "Chuck vs. the ____" and so the title of this blog is in honor of this hilarious show.
Last August, it was too hot in the house, specifically the kids' rooms. Steve and I purchased Hunter ceiling fans from the Gnome Despot. Steve pulled it out of the box and realized that to wire it so that we could have the light off and the fan on, the fan off and the light on, both on, or both off, we'd have to run a whole other set of electrical wires to the junction boxes in each room. Talk about a motivation killer, so the ceilings fans just sat.
We had a few scorching hot days earlier in April, so I decided that it was time to make this happen. We'd have to find a way. In talking with a friend about it, he suggested to use a Hunter brand remote control that is compatible with the ceiling fans we bought. The remote would do all of the controlling and no extra electrical runs would be needed! PERFECT. Another run to the Gnome Despot resulted in the purchase of two Hunter remote controls.
On Good Friday, Steve went up into the attic - a place he despises since he despises insulation - and found that the supports holding the junction boxes in the ceiling for the overhead lights aren't strong enough to hold ceiling fans. No project is as easy as it seems on paper. In talking with my friend again, he suggested a ceiling fan supports instead of building something out of wood. Oh SWEET! Back to Gnome Despot and acquired two ceiling fan supports for existing construction.
Finally, it's project weekend. I promised Steve that I would do all of the attic work i.e. install the new supports and associated junction boxes. But first, I had to take the light fixture down in DJ's room (with the circuit off for his room), and then unscrew the junction box.
Then I went up into the attic, pulled back the insulation, and discovered that the metal junction box support was nailed into the joists. Ok, I got a claw hammer and started pulling but because the roof line was so low at that location I was lying down while doing this. I was getting nowhere. I called down to Steve to get me something that could give me more leverage. He hands me a tool to start prying the bar and the nails from the joist via hammering. Needless to say, I was making a lot of noise doing this, and DJ noted this with a comment of "Mommy noise?"
After 10 minutes of doing more damage to the joist than the support bar, I come back downstairs. Steve decides he's going to brave the insulation and up he goes. We hear a whole lot of banging for the next 20 minutes ("Daddy noise?") and then silence. "Are you ok up there?" In response to my question I hear a clanging as a metal part comes flying from the attic access.
There it was, the support bar, looking like it had been mauled by an animal, ripped - not cut - on one side, and 3" long nails that held it in place. There were 3 per side, and Steve managed to only get one side out. Luckily, the new support we were installing grips above that spot. Then Steve emerges from the attic, completely soaked from sweat from head to toe, itching from the insulation. He was not a happy camper, but he brute forced the old support to do his will.
I went back up into the attic to install the new junction box (requires a support bracket from above the bar), Steve screwed the junction box in from below, and voila, the hardest part was done for DJ's room. Now it's time for Elektra's room. I make sure the breaker was off, and took down the light fixture. Holy mess of wires, Batman. There were 3 sets of wires terminating in that box. UGH.
I call George. He tells me to label them, and he'll call me when he has time to come over i.e. after he was done making his upside down tomato planters with 5 gallon buckets, lawn fabric, and a little ingenuity. Unfortunately, at this point, it was also time for the kids' naps so the project got put on hold for a few hours.
While the kids were sleeping, Steve wired the ceiling fans to the remote control receivers so that they would be ready to go. Elektra woke up early, so I went into her room and labeled the wires. Then I took down the box, went up into the attic, and started hammering out the old support bracket (DJ was awake before I started that!). Luckily, this was located more towards the center of the house, so I could sit on my hands and knees. And, knowing what to expect now, I really whomped on this thing to get it loose. Like Steve, I only managed to get one side out and ripped the other side. I installed the new support, Steve helped me install the new junction box from below, and voila... done with attic work. Yaaaaay! Wow it was hot up there, and it wasn't even that hot up there...
Meanwhile, Grandmom had come over and was watching the kids while Steve finished installing the rest of DJ's fan and remote control switch to his wall. This also gave us the opportunity to install the junction box in Elektra's room. Thanks Grandmom!
George's ears must've been burning because he called right then to ask if I still wanted him to come over. I said yes so that I didn't do something stupid and manage to burn the house down. George came over, looked at the rat's nest, and started working based on my labels. I must've explained something wrong to him because he kept shorting out the circuit. After more discussions, we finally figured out what I was trying to say and George mounted the ceiling fan. Steve didn't finish the job because Elektra was already in bed and sleeping.
That was just Saturday. Whew. On Sunday, I went to Gnome Despot (again!) to get the right batteries for the remote control, extra light bulbs, and a few other things. Meanwhile, Steve finished installing the ceiling fan in the afternoon. However, when he turned on the light via the remote, the fan started. When he started the fan, the light turned on. Uuuuuuuuuuuh... By the time we could test that, it was nearly Elektra's bed time again, so that was left to Monday to complete.
On Monday, Steve takes down the ceiling fan for the millionth time, and confirms that he had, in fact, wired it correctly. Following the wires, he discovers that the manufacturer had reversed the light and fan wires in the remote receiver. So Steve switches them, and FINALLY we have a properly working ceiling fan in both children's rooms. They are so nice...
Now to install one in the living room... oh wait, we really have to run wire because there's no fixture in there now. Calling the professionals for this one...
Last August, it was too hot in the house, specifically the kids' rooms. Steve and I purchased Hunter ceiling fans from the Gnome Despot. Steve pulled it out of the box and realized that to wire it so that we could have the light off and the fan on, the fan off and the light on, both on, or both off, we'd have to run a whole other set of electrical wires to the junction boxes in each room. Talk about a motivation killer, so the ceilings fans just sat.
We had a few scorching hot days earlier in April, so I decided that it was time to make this happen. We'd have to find a way. In talking with a friend about it, he suggested to use a Hunter brand remote control that is compatible with the ceiling fans we bought. The remote would do all of the controlling and no extra electrical runs would be needed! PERFECT. Another run to the Gnome Despot resulted in the purchase of two Hunter remote controls.
On Good Friday, Steve went up into the attic - a place he despises since he despises insulation - and found that the supports holding the junction boxes in the ceiling for the overhead lights aren't strong enough to hold ceiling fans. No project is as easy as it seems on paper. In talking with my friend again, he suggested a ceiling fan supports instead of building something out of wood. Oh SWEET! Back to Gnome Despot and acquired two ceiling fan supports for existing construction.
Finally, it's project weekend. I promised Steve that I would do all of the attic work i.e. install the new supports and associated junction boxes. But first, I had to take the light fixture down in DJ's room (with the circuit off for his room), and then unscrew the junction box.
Then I went up into the attic, pulled back the insulation, and discovered that the metal junction box support was nailed into the joists. Ok, I got a claw hammer and started pulling but because the roof line was so low at that location I was lying down while doing this. I was getting nowhere. I called down to Steve to get me something that could give me more leverage. He hands me a tool to start prying the bar and the nails from the joist via hammering. Needless to say, I was making a lot of noise doing this, and DJ noted this with a comment of "Mommy noise?"
After 10 minutes of doing more damage to the joist than the support bar, I come back downstairs. Steve decides he's going to brave the insulation and up he goes. We hear a whole lot of banging for the next 20 minutes ("Daddy noise?") and then silence. "Are you ok up there?" In response to my question I hear a clanging as a metal part comes flying from the attic access.
There it was, the support bar, looking like it had been mauled by an animal, ripped - not cut - on one side, and 3" long nails that held it in place. There were 3 per side, and Steve managed to only get one side out. Luckily, the new support we were installing grips above that spot. Then Steve emerges from the attic, completely soaked from sweat from head to toe, itching from the insulation. He was not a happy camper, but he brute forced the old support to do his will.
I went back up into the attic to install the new junction box (requires a support bracket from above the bar), Steve screwed the junction box in from below, and voila, the hardest part was done for DJ's room. Now it's time for Elektra's room. I make sure the breaker was off, and took down the light fixture. Holy mess of wires, Batman. There were 3 sets of wires terminating in that box. UGH.
I call George. He tells me to label them, and he'll call me when he has time to come over i.e. after he was done making his upside down tomato planters with 5 gallon buckets, lawn fabric, and a little ingenuity. Unfortunately, at this point, it was also time for the kids' naps so the project got put on hold for a few hours.
While the kids were sleeping, Steve wired the ceiling fans to the remote control receivers so that they would be ready to go. Elektra woke up early, so I went into her room and labeled the wires. Then I took down the box, went up into the attic, and started hammering out the old support bracket (DJ was awake before I started that!). Luckily, this was located more towards the center of the house, so I could sit on my hands and knees. And, knowing what to expect now, I really whomped on this thing to get it loose. Like Steve, I only managed to get one side out and ripped the other side. I installed the new support, Steve helped me install the new junction box from below, and voila... done with attic work. Yaaaaay! Wow it was hot up there, and it wasn't even that hot up there...
Meanwhile, Grandmom had come over and was watching the kids while Steve finished installing the rest of DJ's fan and remote control switch to his wall. This also gave us the opportunity to install the junction box in Elektra's room. Thanks Grandmom!
George's ears must've been burning because he called right then to ask if I still wanted him to come over. I said yes so that I didn't do something stupid and manage to burn the house down. George came over, looked at the rat's nest, and started working based on my labels. I must've explained something wrong to him because he kept shorting out the circuit. After more discussions, we finally figured out what I was trying to say and George mounted the ceiling fan. Steve didn't finish the job because Elektra was already in bed and sleeping.
That was just Saturday. Whew. On Sunday, I went to Gnome Despot (again!) to get the right batteries for the remote control, extra light bulbs, and a few other things. Meanwhile, Steve finished installing the ceiling fan in the afternoon. However, when he turned on the light via the remote, the fan started. When he started the fan, the light turned on. Uuuuuuuuuuuh... By the time we could test that, it was nearly Elektra's bed time again, so that was left to Monday to complete.
On Monday, Steve takes down the ceiling fan for the millionth time, and confirms that he had, in fact, wired it correctly. Following the wires, he discovers that the manufacturer had reversed the light and fan wires in the remote receiver. So Steve switches them, and FINALLY we have a properly working ceiling fan in both children's rooms. They are so nice...
Now to install one in the living room... oh wait, we really have to run wire because there's no fixture in there now. Calling the professionals for this one...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Great Bagel Robbery
So now that I'm into kids books, I was sifting through the books my parents saved from my childhood. One was called "The Great Pie Robbery" by Richard Scarry. And thus, the name of this blog post because there was a great bagel robbery in our house yesterday morning.
The morning routine usually involves wanting to throw the alarm clock against the wall, a shower, making myself something to take to work for breakfast like a bagel with cream cheese, something for lunch, something for Steve for lunch, releasing the hounds from their overnight crate captivity to the outside and feeding them, dressing the kids, packing what they need for the day, and packing them into the car. It doesn't all happen all in that order, either.
On this particular morning, I'd gotten through most everything. I'd already dressed Elektra and she was already in her carseat ready to go. I was dressing DJ when Steve came in to DJ's room, much to DJ's immense delight. We finished getting DJ ready to go together, and I'd picked up DJ to carry him to get his jacket. I turned the corner from the kitchen to the living room, where our jackets are all on a hook, and stopped dead.
There was my bagel, on the floor, with the sandwich bag ripped, the bagel half eaten, crumbs surrounding the evidence, and a dog, IO, to be exact, with his nose stuck in the hole of the bagel, trying to eat as much of the thing as he could as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Napoleon was standing close by, either already having taken a taste and not wanting any or biding his time to get at this delicious morsel.
I was dumbfounded. Never had either dog snatched my bagel before! I actually stood there unable to react for what amounted to 5 seconds. Finally I got a grip, and shooed IO away. And there was my pathetic bagel, on the floor, looking like it had been, well, snacked on by a dog.
Steve laughed and picked the bagel up off the floor to throw it in the trashcan. Needless to say, I went to work hungry... my fault for leaving a bagel in reach of a dog....
This was almost as good as IO licking the broth out of Steve's bowl of chicken and rice soup one night...
The morning routine usually involves wanting to throw the alarm clock against the wall, a shower, making myself something to take to work for breakfast like a bagel with cream cheese, something for lunch, something for Steve for lunch, releasing the hounds from their overnight crate captivity to the outside and feeding them, dressing the kids, packing what they need for the day, and packing them into the car. It doesn't all happen all in that order, either.
On this particular morning, I'd gotten through most everything. I'd already dressed Elektra and she was already in her carseat ready to go. I was dressing DJ when Steve came in to DJ's room, much to DJ's immense delight. We finished getting DJ ready to go together, and I'd picked up DJ to carry him to get his jacket. I turned the corner from the kitchen to the living room, where our jackets are all on a hook, and stopped dead.
There was my bagel, on the floor, with the sandwich bag ripped, the bagel half eaten, crumbs surrounding the evidence, and a dog, IO, to be exact, with his nose stuck in the hole of the bagel, trying to eat as much of the thing as he could as fast as he could. Meanwhile, Napoleon was standing close by, either already having taken a taste and not wanting any or biding his time to get at this delicious morsel.
I was dumbfounded. Never had either dog snatched my bagel before! I actually stood there unable to react for what amounted to 5 seconds. Finally I got a grip, and shooed IO away. And there was my pathetic bagel, on the floor, looking like it had been, well, snacked on by a dog.
Steve laughed and picked the bagel up off the floor to throw it in the trashcan. Needless to say, I went to work hungry... my fault for leaving a bagel in reach of a dog....
This was almost as good as IO licking the broth out of Steve's bowl of chicken and rice soup one night...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Black Olive
Steve and I went to The Black Olive (http://www.theblackolive.com/) for my birthday dinner a couple Saturdays ago. Grandmom watched the kids while we went out for an early dinner. We actually took the Miata... a TWO seater car... we haven't been able to do that in years! LOL Bonus, the miata fits in small places so parking in Fells Point became almost a non-issue for us.
The Black Olive is in a remodeled row house... I'm thinking it's two rowhouses together, actually. The setting was a grade above casual, though there were people there who were wearing jackets/ties, too.
The menu is short and sweet (http://www.theblackolive.com/menus-dinner.html); seafood prepared in a traditional Greek style. We ordered Stuffed Calamari on the Grill as an appetizer. This was fantastic. If I could have ordered that as a meal, I would have.
We also ordered Black Olive's Advocado Salad with Mixed Greens. This was really simple, but the dressing was *perfect*. It was a light vinegrette that I can't describe besides *perfect*. I wish I could make that for home.
I had the Rockfish, which was grilled, lemon-butter sauce, and a side of mushroom-feta polenta. The only part that I actually ordered was the rockfish; everything else was done by the chef without any direction from me. The Rockfish came out perfectly grilled, the sauce was not too heavy and the polenta was surprisingly scrumptious. I didn't expect the mushroom and feta flavors would go together since they are so strong, but polenta doesn't taste like anything without something in it. But the two strong flavors really did mix well!
Steve had the grilled tuna - sashimi style. He said it was perfectly cooked.
For dessert, we had baklava ice cream and loukoumades. And yes, baklava ice cream tastes exactly like baklava... walnuts, cinnamon, syrup... just in ice cream!
We each had a glass of wine from Santorini, too, which was very good.
Our waiter was incredibly attentive, and we had a most pleasant evening. We didn't even talk about the kids once until we were on our way home.
I would highly recommend The Black Olive if you want to eat some fantastic fish. Look forward to going again!!!
The Black Olive is in a remodeled row house... I'm thinking it's two rowhouses together, actually. The setting was a grade above casual, though there were people there who were wearing jackets/ties, too.
The menu is short and sweet (http://www.theblackolive.com/menus-dinner.html); seafood prepared in a traditional Greek style. We ordered Stuffed Calamari on the Grill as an appetizer. This was fantastic. If I could have ordered that as a meal, I would have.
We also ordered Black Olive's Advocado Salad with Mixed Greens. This was really simple, but the dressing was *perfect*. It was a light vinegrette that I can't describe besides *perfect*. I wish I could make that for home.
I had the Rockfish, which was grilled, lemon-butter sauce, and a side of mushroom-feta polenta. The only part that I actually ordered was the rockfish; everything else was done by the chef without any direction from me. The Rockfish came out perfectly grilled, the sauce was not too heavy and the polenta was surprisingly scrumptious. I didn't expect the mushroom and feta flavors would go together since they are so strong, but polenta doesn't taste like anything without something in it. But the two strong flavors really did mix well!
Steve had the grilled tuna - sashimi style. He said it was perfectly cooked.
For dessert, we had baklava ice cream and loukoumades. And yes, baklava ice cream tastes exactly like baklava... walnuts, cinnamon, syrup... just in ice cream!
We each had a glass of wine from Santorini, too, which was very good.
Our waiter was incredibly attentive, and we had a most pleasant evening. We didn't even talk about the kids once until we were on our way home.
I would highly recommend The Black Olive if you want to eat some fantastic fish. Look forward to going again!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day 2009 - weekend update
This weekend was busier than originally planned.
On Saturday, I decided to take DJ out to run errands with me. First we went to Kohl's to exchange an outfit he got for his birthday for a larger size. While we were there, I didn't have DJ contained in a stroller, and he decided that it would be fun to swipe clothes off of the shelves in one fell swoop and then run around the displays with my chasing him, giggling the entire way, bringing smiles to all surrounding customers with his infectious giggle.
Then we went to the Post Office. I was hoping it would trigger a "Sonny?" (since Sonny is a retired postal carrier) but it didn't.
Then we went to Lowe's. What a zoo - as was expected since it was the first rain-free day (sunny, in fact) in over a week. I wanted to go to Sam's, too, but its parking lot looked like that was even MORE of a zoo, and I'm not quite sure how. So we went into Lowe's, fought the crowd to get to the topsoil and grass seed, and then hunted for various other items that we've been needing. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that would fit for our broken cabinet drawer in the kitchen, so that meant a trip to the Gnome Depot, too. While in Lowes, I saw an old neighbor from the townhouse neighborhood. What a nice surprise!
At that point, DJ was cranky, and I realized, it's lunchtime. So I took him to Chick Fil-A as a treat to him (and me). While at Chick Fil-A, DJ learned how to drink through a straw! At first, this surprised him when he actually got milk in his mouth, and then that's all he wanted to do. He drank his bottle of milk in a blink of an eye. He also tried dipping his waffle fries in ketchup. At first he just licked the ketchup off, but then he started eating a ketchup-dipped fry. He's been so anti-ketchup until then, so maybe he'll be interested in it now.
While we were eating, I saw my next door neighbor from middle school - Anne Krajewski. Married and expecting her first in November, she looks great, looks happy, and seems to love her job. It was so funny... we haven't seen each other since high school, I don't think, and we recognized each other immediately. Amazing. Always was a sweet girl and that clearly hasn't changed.
After lunch, DJ and I walked ("alk! alk!") through Gnome Depot, found the part we need for the kitchen cabinet drawer, and headed home. I took the back roads, down Pot Spring and Old Bosley, both of which have some fun curves and bumps. I took the first set on Pot Spring spiritedly (heard some giggling from DJ) and when I got to the stop sign at Old Bosley, I heard, "More?" AWESOME!!! That put a huge grin on my face! So down Old Bosley we went, with a little more (!) spirit . I heard lots of giggling and a "more?" when we got to the traffic light at Dulaney Valley. Unfortunately, that's where the "fun" road ends, so DJ fell asleep shortly thereafter.
When I got home, we put DJ and Elektra down for naps, and then went out to the front bed by the mailbox to seed it with the grass seed and topsoil I'd bought at Lowes. Of course, I've now just guaranteed that we'll be in a drought, but oh well. ;-) We seeded some other bare spots as well, including where an old tree stump was in the back. The outside is really a never-ending project, but I have a few things on my plate. 1. Dig up (maybe I can find a tiller...) the bed by DJ's room so I can seed that with grass. Right now it's so full of weeds and annuals that you'd never know the bed was cleaned out once already!! 2. Trim back the azaleas and rodhodendren (spelling)? 3. Get the ivy out of the azalea down by the road and 4. Reduce the number of hosta on the other side of the front walk. From the way the hosta exploded on the side I did reduce, you wouldn't even know I reduced them. It's insane. Maybe the next few weekends will afford me some time outside again.
On Sunday, Steve let me sleep in a little bit, and then we cleaned the house in preparation for Mother's Day dinner. My sister and her family drove from Lancaster, and my parents and my mother-in-law came as well. It was a nice day, with beef tenderloin, rice, salad, fresh from the bakery lemon merangue pie and key lime cheesecake (or as Spiro called it, key lime cheese pie). DJ and Elektra slept through most of time everyone was over, but that gave Steve and me a chance to visit without stress. I think everyone had a good time, and we got to put the kids to bed on time.
DJ, meanwhile, said a few new names:
"Fia" - for Thia and Sophia
Nouna
Laldia - for Grace's mom, Nadia
Jeff - for Grace's dad, Jeff
All in all, too short a weekend (what awesome weather!!), but a very nice one indeed.
On Saturday, I decided to take DJ out to run errands with me. First we went to Kohl's to exchange an outfit he got for his birthday for a larger size. While we were there, I didn't have DJ contained in a stroller, and he decided that it would be fun to swipe clothes off of the shelves in one fell swoop and then run around the displays with my chasing him, giggling the entire way, bringing smiles to all surrounding customers with his infectious giggle.
Then we went to the Post Office. I was hoping it would trigger a "Sonny?" (since Sonny is a retired postal carrier) but it didn't.
Then we went to Lowe's. What a zoo - as was expected since it was the first rain-free day (sunny, in fact) in over a week. I wanted to go to Sam's, too, but its parking lot looked like that was even MORE of a zoo, and I'm not quite sure how. So we went into Lowe's, fought the crowd to get to the topsoil and grass seed, and then hunted for various other items that we've been needing. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that would fit for our broken cabinet drawer in the kitchen, so that meant a trip to the Gnome Depot, too. While in Lowes, I saw an old neighbor from the townhouse neighborhood. What a nice surprise!
At that point, DJ was cranky, and I realized, it's lunchtime. So I took him to Chick Fil-A as a treat to him (and me). While at Chick Fil-A, DJ learned how to drink through a straw! At first, this surprised him when he actually got milk in his mouth, and then that's all he wanted to do. He drank his bottle of milk in a blink of an eye. He also tried dipping his waffle fries in ketchup. At first he just licked the ketchup off, but then he started eating a ketchup-dipped fry. He's been so anti-ketchup until then, so maybe he'll be interested in it now.
While we were eating, I saw my next door neighbor from middle school - Anne Krajewski. Married and expecting her first in November, she looks great, looks happy, and seems to love her job. It was so funny... we haven't seen each other since high school, I don't think, and we recognized each other immediately. Amazing. Always was a sweet girl and that clearly hasn't changed.
After lunch, DJ and I walked ("alk! alk!") through Gnome Depot, found the part we need for the kitchen cabinet drawer, and headed home. I took the back roads, down Pot Spring and Old Bosley, both of which have some fun curves and bumps. I took the first set on Pot Spring spiritedly (heard some giggling from DJ) and when I got to the stop sign at Old Bosley, I heard, "More?" AWESOME!!! That put a huge grin on my face! So down Old Bosley we went, with a little more (!) spirit . I heard lots of giggling and a "more?" when we got to the traffic light at Dulaney Valley. Unfortunately, that's where the "fun" road ends, so DJ fell asleep shortly thereafter.
When I got home, we put DJ and Elektra down for naps, and then went out to the front bed by the mailbox to seed it with the grass seed and topsoil I'd bought at Lowes. Of course, I've now just guaranteed that we'll be in a drought, but oh well. ;-) We seeded some other bare spots as well, including where an old tree stump was in the back. The outside is really a never-ending project, but I have a few things on my plate. 1. Dig up (maybe I can find a tiller...) the bed by DJ's room so I can seed that with grass. Right now it's so full of weeds and annuals that you'd never know the bed was cleaned out once already!! 2. Trim back the azaleas and rodhodendren (spelling)? 3. Get the ivy out of the azalea down by the road and 4. Reduce the number of hosta on the other side of the front walk. From the way the hosta exploded on the side I did reduce, you wouldn't even know I reduced them. It's insane. Maybe the next few weekends will afford me some time outside again.
On Sunday, Steve let me sleep in a little bit, and then we cleaned the house in preparation for Mother's Day dinner. My sister and her family drove from Lancaster, and my parents and my mother-in-law came as well. It was a nice day, with beef tenderloin, rice, salad, fresh from the bakery lemon merangue pie and key lime cheesecake (or as Spiro called it, key lime cheese pie). DJ and Elektra slept through most of time everyone was over, but that gave Steve and me a chance to visit without stress. I think everyone had a good time, and we got to put the kids to bed on time.
DJ, meanwhile, said a few new names:
"Fia" - for Thia and Sophia
Nouna
Laldia - for Grace's mom, Nadia
Jeff - for Grace's dad, Jeff
All in all, too short a weekend (what awesome weather!!), but a very nice one indeed.
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