Sunday, March 21, 2010

Home Improvements, Singing, and More!

Well, after a grueling week and a half of meeting with a variety of contractors, sitting around waiting for some who never showed up, getting estimates way beyond our price range, looking at samples, choosing colors, negotiating, phone calls to my father-in-law for advice, and figuring, we called it a day and canceled the last two appointments we had set up.  I literally didn’t think I could take another pitch and estimate.  We have selected two contractors to work on the house, one to do the doors and one to do the paint and shutters.  We have signed a contract with the door people—the same company that did our windows and gutters—and I am getting in touch with the guy at the paint company to seal the deal.  He didn’t call back today although I tried to call him, but it is Sunday, so I won’t hold it against him.  I am hopeful that they can get it done before the big birthday bash (the doors will take 4-6 weeks).  It looks like everything in total is going to cost about $4500.  Our neighbor’s friend is going to give us an estimate on doing a railing around our front porch and down the front steps.  This is important with Leah becoming more and more mobile.  I don’t want her to go tumbling off and already she’s been dangling off the porch by her toes “just to see” what’s down there.  She is fearless to the point of stupidity.  Just one more thing I love about her.  Oh, and the electricians are coming back on Tuesday to install 2 new ceiling fans, one in the basement guest room and one in Leah’s room to replace the old one.

Speaking of the bash, the cake is finalized and I just ordered those personalized M&M’s you see on TV.  I can’t wait till they get here.  I put Leah’s face on one color, her name on another color, and “One is Fun!” on a third color.  I ordered all pinks and whites.  They should be cool.  I guess I’m going a little all out for this but I can’t believe my baby is turning one!!!  We are going to try and find a swing as a gift—something we can put in the tree out back for times I don’t feel like loading up and going to the park.  We have waffled about what to give her, and this seems like a great idea, since she loves swinging.

I entered her in a contest to be on the cover of American Baby magazine.  Hopefully she’ll be one of the 5 finalists and we’ll get a free trip to NYC out of the deal :-)  I’ll keep everyone posted so you can vote for her if need be.

Tonight at choir practice, I signed up to decorate one table and help decorate another.  As I mentioned, this is the benefit gala  for the year’s fundraising, and so they really do it up fancy.  Each table is going to have a movie theme for the centerpiece, and they wanted members to volunteer to “adopt a table” and make a display based on a favorite movie.  I volunteered to help and then immediately thought of the perfect movie and kicked myself.  So I went up to adopt a table and someone who wanted help asked me to please help her, so I said I would, and managed to adopt the 11th of the 12th table anyway! :-)  I’m going to help with a table based on the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” and I’m going to do my own table based on “Forrest Gump”.  What do you think of when you think of “Forrest Gump”?  Running? Chocolate?  Football?  Dr. Pepper?  I’ll take ideas!

P1040241 Only a couple weeks left till I can use Facebook again.  I am so looking forward to it!!!!  I caved in and played a couple of computer games, but have limited myself 150% to when Leah is asleep.  If she wakes up while I’m playing, I immediately get up and get her out of bed.  I needed something to do that was pretty mindless.  Leah’s lifebook is coming along really well, I am pretty happy with it.  Right here is the title page.  I love my Cricut cartridges.  Below is another page I made with a different cartridge:

P1040243

I think they’ve come out just great.  I have a magazine of scrapbooking ideas, and I guess my pages are pretty basic compared to the pros, but I like them anyway.  I think Leah will love them someday.  Or at least, I hope she will!

We went back to bingo last night to use up Dustina’s free games and none of the 4 of us won anything.  BUMMER!  But we still had a really good time, and I learned the hard way never to buy 3 coverall cards again.  It was INSANITY.  My arm was killing me and there was no way to keep up with it.  This week we got Chinese food and I brought some cupcakes from Walmart.  The cookie pushers—I mean, Girl Scouts—were out front of the store, so I bought some cookies.  It’s been ages since I had GS Cookies.  They had some new flavors, but I got some old favorites too.  They have really gotten chintzy with the amount of cookies you get for $3.50—you get like 18 Thin Mints.  Not right!!!!  You used to get 2 big tubes of them.  I threw two boxes in the freezer and Michael and I tried the lemon cremes and the Dulce de Leche cookies, the remainder of which he is taking to work tomorrow.  I also got him some of his favorite Easter treats—Cadbury mini eggs and fruit and orange slices, so he is set up in his office for a while.

This week should be pretty quiet.  We are expecting rain for the next couple of days—BUMMER!  Tomorrow we’ll go over to Lowe’s to get the new fans, Tuesday is LOST, Wednesday is nothing, Thursday we’ll be chatting for the first time with a prospective adoptive couple in Richmond who we were introduced to through our attorney, and then next weekend we’ll be going to an Easter pageant.  I don’t think we’ll be doing anything other than that.  But of course, I never plan anything and always seem to be extremely busy, so who knows!?

Hard to believe Easter is rolling around again.  Last year it was right after Leah’s birthday and this year it is right before.  I am looking forward to making turkey and hiding eggs.  I think we’ll have a nice crew by the sounds of it.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print from here!!!

1 pearl(s) of wisdom:

Anonymous said...

Can't wait! What shoul we bring- besides eggs :)