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Finding our New Normal

This has been the strangest Christmas I have ever known.  The house is totally destroyed, with things out of place in a way that cannot be repaired until the construction is done.  Everyone is unsettled, and things are just... uncomfortable.  But... the Christmas tree is up, the cards are hung in the dining room doorway, and a beautiful wreath adorns the door to the messiest, most uninviting house on our street.   Oh, how things have changed... Had someone told me a year ago that I would be here; that this Christmas would be like this; I would have told them they were crazy.  You see, a little over a year ago, my mother in law was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer.  This time last year, we were pumping her up; getting ourselves pumped up, too; preparing to deal with the massive chemotherapy and radiation treatments to come.  And, while we only said it in whispers & never- ever- in our sweet Becky's hearing, we were determined to ...
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Soap Ghost strikes again!

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know by now about our "Soap Ghost".    Be warned, this one is rather gross. Last night, my stupid dog (he's always stupid when he does something I don't like) walked into the kitchen & hurled all over the floor.  Since I was in the middle of finishing my dinner, clean up fell to my husband.  After mumbling under his breath and cursing the stupid dog (let's face it, this is never a fun clean up), he went to the kitchen.  After a few seconds of grunts & grumbles, my darling husband called to me urgently, "Honey!  Come here!  What IS that???? What did he eat???  It looks like a black balloon tied in a bow!" With a deep sigh, I rose & went to see what Stupid had eaten.   "Where?" I asked unceremoniously upon arrival.  "There," came the reply.  I looked down, and smiled, then chuckled.  "What's so funny?" my husband asked.  "It's soap," I sa...
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The way to a man's heart...

Recently, I have been doing some self-analysis, and have come to an unorthodox conclusion:   When it comes to cooking, I love to spoil men.   Call me crazy, but there is just something so completely, and totally, “primally” satisfying about serving a fantastic, hearty meal to appreciative men! Now, I know all my feminist friends are shaking their heads, and stewing in their own juices (don’t boil over! :-)  ), so just hold on- you might like the next part.   You see, when I realized this truth, I suddenly asked myself, “Why?   What is it, beyond my personal desire to make people happy, that actually makes it even more enjoyable to feed men ?”      The answer I finally came to was a little surprising:   Being a good cook is powerful.   Hear me out; I swear I don’t think I’m completely nuts on this one.   Let’s take a journey through my thoughts (buckle your seat belt- this brain is one heck of a place to travel!). ...
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Reno 2012 #2: How to survive Renovations

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How to survive RENOVATION: If you own a home that you didn’t just finish building, you’ve thought about it:   Changing things to make improvements.   For some, this means little things:   New curtains, fresh paint, new carpet, etc.   These things qualify as “freshening” or “personalizing”, and can be done by anyone.    For others, you step into the ever-daunting (and eternally frustrating) world of… (cue mystery movie music- “duh-duh-duuhnnnn”)   RENOVATION! Let’s define what we mean by “renovation”.   Renovation means that you are going into a project that requires three phases:   Demolition, Building/Installation, & Finishing.   So!   If you’re not tearing something down (whether it be walls, countertops, flooring, or bathtubs), you are not doing a full-scale renovation (per my definition- hey… it’s my blog, right? *wink*). This may come as a surprise to some, but Renovation comes with prerequisites.   To...
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Renovations 2012 #1

Over the course of the summer, we made several upgrades to our home.   We fenced in our back yard (creating QUITE another headache/adventure altogether!), we removed the circle drive that bisected our back yard, refilled the space & planted grass, installed new garage doors, and, at the very end of the summer, we gutted the only bathroom in our house.   Yes, you read that correctly:   we GUTTED the ONLY bathroom in our house. The 1950’s Mamie pink tiles were gone, as was the linoleum vanity (ala George Jetson), the cigarette-burned sink, peeling vinyl stick tile, and new tub surround (put in by our previous landlord, leaving a massive hole in the wall when the new tub didn’t fit the 1950’s dimensions- thus the reason for our renovation).   Renovation is NOT for the faint of heart, nor for the quick of temper!   :-) So!   I am dedicating the next several posts to the fun & unexpected adventures of RENOVATIONS 2012.
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We have a ghost in our house!

We have a ghost in our house. Yep.   You read that right.   We have a ghost in our house.   Crazy thing about this ghost:   it has an uncanny fondness for soap.   Yes, S-O-A-P… soap…keep up here, I’ll never get this told if I have to repeat myself! We first noticed this poltergeist a couple of months ago.   We had ripped out the bathroom, and finally had the tub up and running again.   Oh! The joy!   Not only was the tile from this century, but the joy of being able to bathe in my own home again was glorious (if you have never done a major renovation, you just don’t understand)!   It was a sunny day in fall, the window was open in the bathroom & a mild breeze played with the shower curtain.   I stepped into the shower & relished the steaming hot spray as it warmed my face & shoulders.   I reached for the soap… where’s the soap?   Now, I knew I had put soap in the shower just a few days ago.   T...
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My third child

Most people think I only have two children.   While this is, technically, true (I have only BIRTHED two children), I actually have three “children”.   My daughter & son are my pride & joy (even on days when they drive me nuts), but “child” #3 has been with me longer than the others, is actually older than I am, has gotten thick around the middle, can clear a room when he passes gas & is covered in a fine coat of brown & black fur.   No…. I am not referring to my husband.   I’m talking about my 10 yr old Boxer dog, Rex; my pal.   Rex is, in many ways, a girl’s best friend:   he always listens when you talk, keeps you safe, loves to snuggle & is happy to let you slide your ice-cold toes under him, and has no problem telling you when he disagrees with your decision (if it is for your own good).    In real terms:   he is loving & loyal, fiercely protective, opinionated… yeah… he’s a grouchy old man!   We...
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