Could there be a more beautiful day?

There's a cliche about Chicago weather - If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change.  This weekend was the perfect example of that.

Friday was cool but sunny.  Saturday was rainy. Sunday was a torrential downpour, while driving to our hometown I might add. That brings us to today....

It's 90 degrees


and our air conditioning does not work


great

Thankfully, our place stays pretty cool thanks to the two big trees on our property.  Matt started off by tackling the jungle of a lawn.  All the rain this week has made it quite difficult to get out there before it became what it was today. Once the jungle was tamed it was time for lunch.

We zipped in to Park Ridge and then off for a completely impromptu drive into the city that turned out to be a fantastic day.

Clearly with the beautiful weather, we were not the only ones with this idea.  We found parking near Navy Pier and walked along the river to the tourist mecca.  M loves the city and she does not care where we go.  G has only been to the city a few times, and he has no recollection of the place.

"Oh, Boats! Boats!"

Understandably, Navy Pier was packed but since we had no plan there were no worries.  A little Gelato and everyone was happy.

M & Matt @ Navy Pier

Feed Me!!

 We expected both kids to pass out on the way home, but they decided to stay awake.  That made for an interesting evening, but thankfully they are now asleep and will be much happier in the morning.

Come on summer!

Can you feel it?

There are only about 10 school days left in the year.  That is good news and bad news.  In those ten days I will conduct no fewer than 13 parent meetings.  It's going to be busy, but the reward is well worth it. 

Ants are smarter than me

We've had some freeloaders in our house for quite some time now, and I think it's time they start paying rent.

It all started back at the beginning of April.  It was a Sunday night.  It was around 11:00, almost bed time.  Matt was wrapping up at his desk and said "Uh oh," followed by a long silence as he bent over to put something under his desk.

Now Matt has a way of letting silence go a smidge too long, and by nature I'm a freaker-outer.  His long silences give my brain a lot of time to freak out and think the worst.  Uh oh what?  Did we take in water?  Is there a huge spider?  Did you throw out your back?  No, it must be a mouse.  What?!

"We've got ants," he moaned.  I immediately jumped up from the couch because the mere mention of ants gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Those little bastards had found a nice warm spot under Matt's computer mega surge protector.  They told all of their friends about this place because there were hundreds of them.  We have not had ants in our house for quite a while so there was not a drop of indoor ant killer to be had.  Doesn't that give you a cozy feeling going to bed on a Sunday night?

After work on Monday afternoon I zipped to the Ace Hardware to get some Tarro liquid.  It came highly recommended by friends and the girl at Ace.  Tarro is called a sweet bait because it is a sugar base laced with Borax.  Yum, yum!  The ants are to eat the bait and take some of it back to the colony and give it to the queen.  Once everyone has had a great meal, they all die!  Problem solved.  The ants sure liked their little snack, and they brought all of their friends.  The pieces of paper with the bait soon looked fuzzy because of all the ants.

They decided to leave from under the surge protector and move to one of the corners in the basement.  

Let's fast forward to today, May 11, 2011.  The ants are still in the same corner in the basement.  It is not for a lack of trying on our part.  Several bottles of Tarro, Raid solid baits, and a powder shaken around the perimeter of the house have not reduced their numbers at all.  I think they are now making fun of us because the granules they use to make their nests ("frass" as I've learned it to be called) are showing up on the bits of foil with the Tarro.  Seriously, die already!

Can you hear them laughing at us?  I sure can.

We have nickel and dimed this problem enough.  It's time to call in the big guns.  An exterminator is coming on Friday.  Look out my little creepy stowaways your days are numbered.  Muhahahahahah!

Wheels

Wheels have a verbal and physical presence in our house this week.

Wheels is G's new word.  Since his birthday there are a heck of a lot of wheels around this house.  The best part is that he pronounces it "wee-ohs".  Love him.

Both kids now have bikes to ride.  As you know M's training wheels were taken off last weekend and she's having a great time showing off her wobbly new skills.

G got a Big Wheel for his birthday.  I have to brag about this Big Wheel for a short bit.  With the help of my sister (T!) I've collected Pampers diaper points for quite some time.  As I came to the realization that I had a couple thousand points (yeah, babies wear a lot of diapers), I should see what I could get for them.  Low and behold there was a rockin' Big Wheel available.  Not wanting to miss out I ordered it in October and held on to it until the big birthday.  He was not sure of it at first, but as soon as he saw that he could be like M - look out!

Not to the pedals, yet!

I foresee a lot of time on the sidewalk this summer!

Birthdays Galore!

April is a busy time for our family.  We had combined party for the kids' birthdays and Easter the day before Easter, and a friend party for M this past Sunday.  For her friend party, M had 12 friends meet us for a few hours of gymnastics.  The gym was big enough for all the kids to play and not have to wait for anything!  

The adults even had fun on the trampolines, foam pit, and balance beams.  Matt's legs are sore even a bit today from all the jumping :) 

M was quite brave climbing the rope wall.  Thanks to our friend Mike for taking this video.

She did this twice!  What a brave girl. 

Whew!

We've had a pretty busy week.  Mr. C. finished his project (finally and good riddance!),  M had her birthday, we had the family here to celebrate both kids' birthdays combined with Easter, and drove out to my parents' house to pick up G because my sitter could not watch him on Monday.

To bring a little zen to this post, enjoy some photos of the last week.....

Swim School graduate

Birthday cupcake

Yum!

The training wheels are off!

Birthday cupcake

Who says boots are for winter?

PB&J on the You are Special Plate

Morning Birthday Girl!

Flustered

Mr. C. is #1 on our list - not in a good way.  Excuse the rant right from the start.

The move to the top spot has been a slow move, but today sealed his spot.

Let me take you back to the beginning of the relationship. Mr. C worked on our house when Mr. D and the boys were here to construct the wall. Mr. C. was very cordial and appeared to work efficiently. He was recommended by Mr. D. as a professional to think about working with to replace our fusebox with a new 20th century circuit breaker. Mr. C. followed up a few weeks later to see if we were wanted him to work for us. We tried to call a few other electricians, but they either never called back or never showed up to give us an estimate. We really trusted Mr. D., so Mr. C. looked like our best option.

Mr. C. arrived at 7:30 on his first day and I left with the kids. He worked most of the day and ran into a few issues, as expected since many things are questionable in our house. He made sure we had electricity for the evening and said he'd be back the next day.

The next day I did not hear from him, but had no expectation of a phone call or text. As I was grabbing my bag to leave work, I received a text at 4PM saying that he didn't make it to the house that day. OK, things happen. Let's reschedule for the next day as Matt would flip if he arrived home from his trip and it wasn't done. The next scheduled day comes and he arrived around lunchtime and finished up. (That's number 1)

He went out of town for a week or so and we reconnected when he got back.

We set up some dates for him to start replacing the original, crispy, fire hazard, wire in the upstairs. He started the first day we could come back after Zak Brown finished the floors.

We figured he would not get a lot accomplished on this first day as he had to figure out how the rooms were wired and make a plan from there. He worked until late afternoon. He'd be back in the morning. Around 6:30 the next morning I receive a text that he has to get materials for the project and will be to the house around 10:30. Curious where he was going for materials, but whatever. Several texts around 11:30 indicate that he was still on his way. 12:30 was his official arrival time. He worked until around 2 and then called it a day (That's number 2)

Matt and Mr. C. made a plan for him to come back to the house on Saturday morning at 8AM to install an outlet on the wall so we can hang the television.  Can you see where this is going?  8AM came and went, without a phone call or text.  An 8:40 text and 11:15 phone call was answered with a 12:15 phone call to say that he was sick and just woke up.  I talked to him when he called to gravel about the no show, which sent me into an eloquent ripping of a new one.  I reminded him that this was now the third time that he had not shown up as promised, and that we had to decide if we even wanted him back to do the work.  His reply, "that's harsh."  OMG, that sent me into my "We are the two nicest people that you will ever meet (he interjected that he agreed) and I countered with when you piss us off we are two of the meanest people you could meet.  I was going to get back to him after I talked to Matt.  (That's number 3)

This is where the title comes in. 

Shortly after his phone call I receive the following text:

"Holly, I understand you and Matt are flustered with me today.  I didn't intend for this.  I need to redeem business with Matt and you.  I can assure you this won't happen again." (foreshadowing!)  Flustered?  Flustered!  I have an F word that I would like to use and flustered isn't it. 

The decision was that if he could come the next day (Sunday) to install the outlet we'd be on the right track.

He arrived at 10:30 and worked until 1:30.  He had some jobs on Monday and Tuesday so he would be back on Wednesday to get back to work on rewiring.

This brings us to today.  Mr. C. was to arrive at 7:30, but at 6:30 I get this text:

"Holly, I have a family emergency this morning.  I will not be able to make it." (That's number 4)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!  I almost threw my phone out the window.  I called Matt and we both fumed for a few.  We knew it was time to call Mr. D. to let him know that his recommendation was not quite panning out the way he probably would like.  I could tell in his voice that he was disappointed and just as mad as we are.  My point was not to tattle on Mr. C, but I think Mr. D. needed to know.

Fast forward to this afternoon when I get this text:

Is 7:30 tomorrow okay?  I talked with Mr. D.  I will get this done ASAP for you and Matt."

Here is my dilemma, this guy has started our project and we just can't muster the strength to find another electrician.  Will the new guy say we need to redo some of Mr. C.'s work?  Will Mr. C. do a crappy job now that he knows we are mad?  Goodness gracious.  

I called Mr. C. and gave this ultimatum, he can come back tomorrow and Friday.  The job will be done on Friday.  If it is not done on Friday he is done on Friday.  Capish amigo?  I think he understands, but I'm not betting on those odds.

The Dust Is Done!

The floors are done!  Oh.my.goodness do they look ah.ma.zing.  Who knew that they could look so great.  However, the dust it left behind is not so attractive.  I suppose this is a reason to clean the house obnoxiously well this weekend.  I took the afternoon off yesterday to start putting the house back together.  Mr. C was there to start replacing the wire on the main floor.  As we both worked we chatted about our kids and general chit-chat.  Come to find out he grew up in the same hometown and Matt and me!  He went to a different high school, however, we could reminisce about places we liked to go in town.

We are now back to a family of four.  When Mr. C finished up yesterday I left to pick up G.  I am again so thankful for our parents who watched G for us while Zak Brown finished the floors.  

This might be the last time we see Zak Brown on the blog. 

When I walked into my parents’ house G gave me the biggest hug I’ve ever gotten.  For the next two hours he made up for his daily quota of calling my name.  He demanded my attention from the moment I walked in the door.   I think I heard “Mama” about 200 times.  When we got home Matt and M were not quite back yet.  Once M joined us downstairs, he called her name and gave her a huge squeeze, too!  She was pretty happy to see this love from her brother.  

We are going to wait another day or so before returning the furniture to its rightful place to let the stain cure a bit more.  In the meantime, the living room is an echo chamber for the kids to scream and play flashlight tag.  We have to get some more felt pads for the feet of all the living room & dining room furniture.  I do wonder how quickly G will figure out that with just a little of his brute strength that he can slide the furniture across the room.  I give it three days.

A Little Smelly For A Lot Of Pretty

I left the house early this morning before Zak Brown arrived.

He never called me today.  That could be a good thing as in the project moved forward as planned and I did not need to be involved.  Or something could have come up and he never showed up.  So, I stopped by the house after work to see what was happening.  Whew, the project moved forward!

The stairs leading into the kitchen

The dining room & living room

I have no idea when Zak Brown left, so I did not have a good gauge if the stain was wet.  I went no further than the doorway threshold.  I've got to say that was about all I could handle because the fumes were overwhelming.  Tomorrow brings the final coat and one step closer to the main floor being done!  Notice I said the main floor......We still have a basement.

Meanwhile, M and I are in a hotel for the night since the fumes are horrible for us to inhale for an extended period of time.  We had a friend and her daughter meet us at the hotel so the kids could have pizza and swim.  Who doesn't like a Tuesday night playdate?

M kept busy while I dried her hair by talking to Matt.

 

She's got it good, eh?

Just a little bit

Yesterday Matt and my dad moved a little furniture to prepare for the living room floor refinishing.  I wanted them to move the furniture to the basement for the duration of the project.  In order to get to the basement stairs they had to take the furniture out the front door and around to the back door.  They used their Tetris skills to figure out the proper angle to push the couch down the basement stairs.  They pursed their lips and tilted their heads trying to see how it would fit.  Dad started to take the stair railing off while Matt measured the couch and the stair opening.  I really wanted the couch downstairs instead of on the sunporch since the thought of potential bugs hanging out on my couch gives me the heebie geebies.

Dad - "Do you really think it's going to fit?"  

Matt figured that the opening was "just about the size of the couch."  The official decision was that "just about the size of the couch" was not a precise enough measurement to figure out halfway down the stairs that it was not enough.  The couch was going to the porch.  I guess the vacuum will get a good work out when the couch comes back inside.

Good bye nasty, gross, worn, stained, blech carpet.  You've served your purpose.  Rest in peace at the dump.

Zak Brown and his co-worker arrived a little after 8:00 this morning.  I was already at work, so all seemed to be OK.

Until around 9:15.

My co-worker tells me that she hears my phone ringing - this can't be good.

Zak Brown tells me that when they pulled up the carpet in the living room there was a problem with the transition from the original floors under the carpet to the newer floors in the hallway.  The planks matched up on the long side, but the short ends were off "just a bit."  Multiply that "just a bit" times twenty boards and it becomes a "whole heck of a lot."

We had a few choices that needed to be made in a short amount of time:

1.  He could lay a few planks running the opposite direction that would follow the path of the just removed carpet.  The planks would not be a straight line from the hall closet to the front door since they are offset by a foot or so.
2.  Re-lay the hallway planks so they will match properly
3.  Re-lay some of the living room planks so they will match properly

Each one has their pros and cons
The planks in the opposite direction would essentially section off the hallway and entryway from the living room.  Much the same as the carpet did.

Re-laying the planks in either option two or option three would cost additional money and time, but it would give us the look we wanted.

Ultimately we chose to have Zak Brown re-lay the planks.  He said that he would measure both areas to determine which option would be more cost effective.  Turns out that relaying the living room planks was the more cost effective option. 

Hello pretty, unstained, beautiful floors.  Welcome to the family.

 He was able to sand 90% of the area today.  Tomorrow he will finish sanding and the start the stain!

The end is in sight

We are finally getting all of our belongings put into place after the room renovation.  However, more upheaval and changes are in store for us this week.

Remember Zak Brown?

He is coming back on Monday to start the final leg of the floor refinishing - the kitchen, hallway, and living room.  Once again G was shipped off to the grandparents for a few days.  My dad helped us prepare for Zak Brown's arrival by relocating the stove and the couch to the back porch.  We made sure take full advantage of our hillbilly porch and piled the living room furniture in there, too.  Too bad there was not a gas hookup out there so we could have cooked some dinner out there.

After the three of us (Matt, M, and I) got back from dinner it was time to clear the kitchen counters, linen closet, and hallway coat closet/pantry.  It's a good thing G is gone because he would have a blast playing in the boxes of spaghetti sauce and canola oil in his room. 

Then on Thursday Mr. C. will be back to start replacing wire on the main floor of the house.  This is a continuation of his project to add a circuit breaker a few weeks ago.   

His return to our house later in the week will increase the renovation snowball just a bit more.  Since we got rid of the entertainment center last week, we really started to enjoy the extra space in the living room.  Now, we think mounting the television on the wall will be the best option to keep maximum floor space.  There are two problems with this.  One is that we do not have electricity wired to where we need it.  Second is that we do not actually own a television that can be mounted on the wall.  This should be interesting....

Thank You Notes

I think it’s time for another round of thank you notes

Dear Lottery,

     I tried twice last week to get in touch with you.  It seems that you answered someone else instead.  Maybe we can get together after Saturday night’s drawing?

Dear Guy that pulled out in front of me,

     Thank you for berating me with your middle finger in your rearview mirror because your spectacular driving made me get a little too close to your bumper.  Next time I will anticipate your rude and inconsiderate driving and roll out a red carpet for you - instead of blowing bubbles with my gum to show how uninterested I was with what your digit had to say. 

Dear Summer Vacation,

     Thank you a thousand times over for your annual appearance.  I certainly look forward to our visit this year.

           

Dear Lady at swimming,

     Thank you for looking your best at the pool tonight.  I really liked your hair.  Next week let’s try to decrease the perfume to just a gallon – I think the two you used tonight were a bit too much. 

Dear Dinner Gods,

     Thank you for providing me the strength tonight to cook dinner for my children. I just couldn’t do drive through for dinner again.  When you get the chance, I could use your help for some more dinner ideas for one adult and two children. 

XOXO,

Holly