Actually, it wasn't that bad, but I'm certainly glad to have a nuclear mechanical engineer around to figure out this stuff.
Dante was excited and really wanted to help.
I figured I'd be more help sitting at attention and being a gofer. The flashlight really helped Mike find the screw holes. All done! Just hooking up the MP3 speakers. Fancy pants, Mr. Peacock.
Kearney was completely unimpressed. He kept giving the stroller the hairy eyeball. Then he parked himself directly in front of one of the back tires.
So naturally Mike decided to threaten his life with it. Of course. Kearney was so not amused. Insert snarky caption here.
Mom bought these little dresses for Peachick, and though I initially hung them in her closet, they're so sweet that I just had to pull them out. Every time I walk through her room, I see them and my heart does little flips akin to the ones I experienced when Mike and I first started dating. Maybe this is what life is all about.
Little birds and the poem "All Things Bright and Beautiful," have both become recurring themes in the nursery, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Bousillage (pronounced "BOOS-ee-ahsh") is a Creole word that literally means "big mess." It describes a style of Colonial French architecture in which a combination of mud, sand, horse hair, and whatever else settlers could find was used to make the walls of their homes. It was practical, provided good insulation, and most importantly, was very strong: many Colonial homes along the River Road were constructed with bousillage and are still standing today, despite hurricanes that wreak havoc on the region.
It's a word I associate with Peachick often lately: she's a strong big mess. She must have some Creole in her because she and I both adore spicy stuff. Tabasco on pizza is a particular favorite. She has recovered from her shyness around her daddy and kicks the heck out of me when he's around and she hears his voice. She delights in poking and prodding me while I'm trying to focus on a hard puzzle, and oh my, is she a night owl.
And strong! We had a great appointment with Dr. K last week, and he said her heartbeat was impressive. I passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors and rather enjoyed the sugar high induced by the glucola. That's the strongest stuff I've had since April, and I can't imagine what a lightweight I'll be come January. Peachick had a party in my pelvis while we worked the glucose off together.
She's quiet during our morning walks with Dante, so I have a feeling she'll enjoy being rocked to sleep, and I can't wait to watch Mike rock her. Dante thinks she's the bees knees. I wish you could see him gently head-butt my belly when we're on the couch together. Then he settles in with his head right against me, just waiting for Peachick to join him in the outside world. I have a feeling they'll be good buddies.
My belly is burgeoning, and we can see her moving around, which is kind of a trip. Mike is having a more difficult time in the evenings finding a spot for his head just before we turn off the light, but somehow we manage it. He can even hear her heart beating just by laying his head against me.
Things are just rocking right along. We're looking forward to meeting this big mess. Our own Bousillage.
Today was just a bunch of impromptu fun girls' stuff.
It all started yesterday when Asher and Ashley invited me out for lunch at the Irish Frog and a shopping trip. The waiter was a hoot, food was great, the company even better.
And dessert was almost the death of us all.
Before:
After: Notice the lack of anybody's face in the after shot: we were all miserably full; I even found chocolate and whipped cream IN MY HAIR when I fastened my seatbelt once I sat in my car. That's' just klassy with a K. All three and a half of us did our best to finish it off, but the Chocolate Monstrosity really lived up to its name. Peachick has been kicking me all afternoon, asking for more, but I honestly don't have any room to put it.
After lunch, the girls were sweet enough to take me to look for baby clothes, and boy did I find them! I had to use restraint and must admit that now I'm a lot more excited about having a girl. They can wear pretty stuff. Let's just say most of the pieces I bought had ducks on them, and the others made Mike say, "That's cute," when he looked through the shopping bag. One outfit (A & A, you know which one it was) even elicited an, "Ooh, that's pretty," from my stoic engineer.
Then on the way to Jackson, I called Mike, who was on his way to take the boat out to the Reservoir. I was listening to the GA Tech vs North Carolina game on the XM Radio, and Tech was not favored to win. It was the last 4 minutes of the game, and though we had been losing most of the time, lo and behold the score was 30-24, Tech! I turned the radio up to a roaring 47 so Mike could hear over the phone. It was a nail-biting ending, but we won!
Once in Jackson, I met Ying for a surprise baby gift for Peachick. It was such a creative gift: Ying took me to Harry the Potter and let me pick out whatever I wanted to paint for the baby. How neat and thoughtful is that?!? Her nursery walls are very bare right now, so I selected a pretty little fleur de lis that will make a sweet accent piece. I'm really happy with the finished product, if I do say so myself, and I was even able to sign and date the back of it so she'll always know her mama made it for her. It still needs to be fired, so the colors will be much more vibrant and glossy when I pick it up on Thursday. I honestly can't wait. Since the only camera I had with me was on my phone and I've had the thing since May 5, I decided it was high time I figured out how to transfer photos from my phone to my computer. Indulge me in a quick walk down memory lane of the summer:
Kearney finally fell off that pillow. I don't know if you can make it out, but Dante was all snuggled up in the crook of Mike's arm on the couch. He was curled up into a tight little Dante ball. And Dante L.O.V.E.S. Peachick's room. I love his tail in this photo. Beachy goofiness. My hot husband and his big hat.
And I am still enamored of this cookie Asher made me.
Now Mike's buzzing around inside and out, firing up the grill for some steaks while I blog with my feet up. He's so good to me. And I think we'll watch either Airplane or a Miami Vice for tonight's entertainment.
Oh, what a beautiful weekend, oh what beautiful days. I have a beautiful feeling everything's going our way.
The past three days have been nothing short of idyllic. Maybe it's the (somewhat) cooler weather, maybe it's the fact that we are now able to sleep with the windows open, maybe it's just been the company. But we have loved every minute of it.
Mayhem and foolishness started on Friday, when Mike was able to come home a little early. He brought with him flowers and doughnuts! Lately I've been on a kick about how goooooood a doughnut would be, but I wouldn't break down and buy any because of all the sugar and fat involved. Well, Mike fixed my little red wagon with a baker's dozen of freshly-glazed goodness, enough to keep us through these past three days. Pair them with a cup of freshly ground and brewed coffee, and I'm like a new woman.
Then the girls and I went out for supper Friday night. I know - it's too good to be true! A man who brings home flowers and pastries and then gives me the night off in the kitchen so I can spend time with my two favorite bad influences. The weekend could not have begun better.
But wait. There's more.
Dante started off with a big Saturday morning romp:
Then Mike had to join the fun:
After that, Mike and I had some lunch and stopped off at Discount Hunting on our way to Turcotte to shoot rifles with friends. Peachick was not fond of the larger calibers with whom we were sharing the range, and she let me know under no uncertain terms with lots of kicking and squirming. When Mike saw somebody pull out a big boomer, he would grab me by the waist and hug me up behind him, using his body as the baby's own muffler. It was so sweet, but a little hot. So I spent about half the time sitting in the car, which was kind of a killjoy. But it was nice being outside and enjoying good company nonetheless.
While in the car, we listened to Georgia Tech beat up on South Carolina State 41-10. Mike was enthused.
Saturday night I roasted a rosemary and cracked pepper crusted ribeye with onions and potatoes while Mike tinkered out in the garage and started sanding the side door in preparation for some new varnish. We watched Date Night, and I laughed at the cab driver 'till I cried.
Then Sunday we loaded Dante up and headed down to our friends Cindy and James' place out in the country for a cookout in the dappled shade of the pecan trees. We ate too much but had a great time doing it. The food was great, the company even better. While we were there, we were fortunate enough to have friends take a few shots of the two of us together. That's so rare for married couples: we always have photos of one of us or the other but very few together in the same frame.
Mike is so proud: look what I did! Of course, I'm proud too: look who I married!!!
Mike also honed his photography skills with some very difficult subjects: hummingbirds.
We came home to an easy evening with a light supper. As soon as evening fell, we opened all the windows, turned off the lights, popped some popcorn with extra butter, and cuddled together to watch the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was a very intense and graphic film with a very good plot, and I hate to see how much moviemakers water it down for the American version. Though it's filled with unsavory characters with whom I find it hard to relate, I'm so fascinated by their strengths and motivations that I might just have to read the trilogy. But I'm glad to have seen the movie first for the heads-up on some of the necessary plot development.
We took it easy today, taking a leisurely run together with the dog this morning, having an excellent Mediterranean/Lebanese lunch, and enjoying a quick visit with Mom this afternoon. During lunch Mike told me the story of how he flew solo for the first time and the process of achieving his pilot's license. His instructor actually told him to go solo before Mike expected, and Mike admitted (as I would have been too!) that he was scared out of his wits. I love that human part of my 00 secret agent. Now I'm sitting with my feet up, watching my favorite, Pawn Stars, while Mike tinkers with the boat outside.
I hope your weekend was just as wonderful. What did you do?
I'm very glad Mike and I are together for many reasons. Lately I'm most glad that we have been feeding off the other's energy, alternating turns in being the horsepower behind necessary renovations brought about by this kid in me and a bit of a disaster this week.
In the beginning of all this mayhem and foolishness, I was the catalyst that turned the house upside down, moving all the equipment in the gym to the garage and all the guest room furniture into the gym-turned-guest room. My reason was pragmatic: I realized that in another couple of months, I won't be able to move much anything (Mike took care of the big stuff, but I probably lifted more than I should have anyway), so I wanted to take care of the heavy lifting as soon as possible.
But as soon as the nursery was empty (and I was completely worn out), Mike took the reins and could not wait to paint. Since he would be actually painting, I happily gave him the task of picking out the color, and I. AM. ENAMORED. Inspired by the green-blues in the waves at Rosemary Beach, he selected a hue entitled Waterscape. It feels like you're sitting in a big Tiffany box, only not so bright. The pictures below are awful of the color - there is a lot more green - so you'll just have to come see it for yourself. He chose very, very well.
OK, the painting was done. Then as soon as Mike was worn out, I decided that our furniture would be scratched at Cullen's Playpen (which, of course, it wouldn't. I was being a worrywart.), so we had to have that delivered. Then began the task of unpacking the stuff, which was truly set up to withstand a nuclear meltdown. I've never seen so much packing material: the boxes were bigger than I am.
Dante helped. Some people might say, "Aww, isn't that sweet? She's nesting!!!" Trust me, all ideas were produced solely out of practicality and snowballed into complete havoc.
I have some ideas to finish the nursery, but we'll wait until Friday the 13th, when we discover the sex of our bun. We will recover the rocker and add a mirror and a few lamps to coordinate with the bedding, and I hear blackout curtains are popular for nurseries, even though this is a north-facing room with plenty of shade. We'll figure it all out in the end. The point is, we worked for days and weeks on this project, and as soon as we thought we were finished with home improvements for a while.....
.... it rained.
And rained.
Rain would not have been a problem had our roof been on the house during said rainstorm. But we were having it replaced, and God thought now would be a good time to bring us even closer together. I was at a funeral when it rained. The roofers were on the south side of the house and didn't see me when I came in. Going to turn off the alarm, I slipped in a puddle of water and almost busted my tail. My first thought was that I'd left on a faucet... No. Washing machine blew? No... And then I looked up.
About the time the alarm went off, the roofer was ringing the doorbell to apologize profusely for the rain in the house. The garage, back hall, utility room, dining room, foyer, hallway to the office, office, jack and jill bathroom, and the door framing in the nursery all have damage. Some of the carpets were soaked, especially the one in the office, and some of the hardwood floors had standing water on them.
It was a big, fat mess.
So the next few days were spent moving everything in Mike's big, messy office into the nursery to clear the wet carpet. The good news is that we now have no option but to organize it when putting everything back together.
I could find the bright side of a plague.
Painters came two days later to make repairs, but there are some spots that still need work. They are planning to come next week to finish up the door framings, and I hate to tell them they'll have to do something more about the back hallway. Probably the most frustrating part of the whole deal is that I can show the painters 6 times where the paint is cracked and warping in a spot, and they won't do anything about it. But all Mike has to do is call them once, and they take care of it.
Grr.
I've mitigated this ineffectual female syndrome by having Mike write up a list of things for them to do. Maybe that'll help next week. Wish me luck.
But all's well that ends well: Dante has a new favorite spot in this world.
It's been a big summer for our pup. He turned 2 years old on June 10th. In celebration, we sent the Pearl River SPCA, the organization that found him, a donation along with a letter and some photos. Dante also received a new bed and a new Kong, as both were almost as old as he and had seen the worse for wear. About a week later, I received a phone call from Bonnie at the SPCA. She said that my note came at the perfect time and that she needed a human-interest story for their newsletter. So I sent her a grown-up photo of Dante, and she sent me his baby picture.
From this (they don't come much cuter):
To this: Dante made the cover story of the newsletter, which is proudly displayed on the fridge, right next to his latest two achievements: he passed his Love on a Leash Therapy Dog test and his American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test! We celebrated THAT with a new collar to go with his new CGC tags. Very proud indeed.
But this summer wasn't all about work. He's had a great time hanging out at Mom's house with Jack and Darlin' while Mike and I have been out of town, and he has broadened his horizons by meeting new friends. This is Dash, a friend's pet dragon. Dante was intrigued.
Right now he's in the back yard, helping Mike pick up sticks. Glad to know all this mayhem and foolishness haven't gone to his head.
The month-plus-long outage (and midnight shift) ended today! My vampire is currently asleep, but he's planning to wake up soon and go back to sleeping during the night tonight. It will be the first time we've slept together since mid-April.
Not that way. Pull your head out of the gutter.
This morning I told him I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep with somebody else in the bed. His reply: "Oh yeah, are you going to take up all the space and kick me off the edge?"
But Mike shouldn't worry too much. Dante has been keeping his place warm. I don't let animals on the bed as a rule - Dante starts the night off on his pillow on the floor, but somehow during the night he levitates onto Mike's spot on the bed. Sometimes I even wake up with Dante's head underneath my hand. He's bad, but he sure is charming about it.
Now it's time to catch up on all the social activities and hardy partying that we've missed for the past month. I think the plan for tonight is for me to be the designated driver and let Mike let loose and drink as much as he can stand. You know, for medicinal purposes. So he can sleep. Yeah, that's it.
I didn't realize how busy we would be this spring! Thank you for keeping up with me and bearing with the current dearth of posts. I promise you'll be sick of me come May.
This weekend Mike and I took some much needed R&R from the frantic pace of late. Dante joined us for a picnic next to the Reservoir along the Natchez Trace. We ate our lunch and laid out in the warm sunshine on a blanket in the middle of a field. A huge pine tree had fallen nearby, and we had a good time playing among its branches. We walked the shore, reliving Mike's days of beach combing in Okinawa, and Dante chased bugs in the dry grass.
After lunch we headed out to Turcotte to fire off the new rifle. It's a Ruger 10/22 .22 Sporter with an anodized stainless steel barrel. I have to admit it's an awful lot of fun to shoot. It's a very small rifle, so the bang isn't very loud, and there's no kick at all. As it was in the mid-60s, Dante was happy to hang out in the truck in the shade with a peanut butter Kong and the windows rolled down. He stayed in my line of vision, watching us, until somebody joined us at the rifle range with a huge M-1.
The pond below didn't freeze over only because of the two pumps keeping it moving. This pond behind Mike wasn't so lucky. It froze completely across. Obviously hell itself has frozen over. Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we'd all have frozen to death. - quoted in Mark Twain and I, Opie Read
I figured I'd be more help sitting at attention and being a gofer. The flashlight really helped Mike find the screw holes.
All done! Just hooking up the MP3 speakers. Fancy pants, Mr. Peacock.
So naturally Mike decided to threaten his life with it. Of course. Kearney was so not amused.
Insert snarky caption here.
