Can't handle the pressure

So I now know that people are actually reading this and now I am feeling the pressure to be funny. And let me tell you...it is alot. Hrmm. I didn't think about that before I sent it out to everyone. Duh.

I am all packed and ready for the ripe old time of 2:30am when my Knight in Shining Airport Limo service shows up to whisk me away to Costa Rica. That is way to early for me to be chipper and happy. I am really oddly excited to have an exercise path (which John just walked today) and fitness room.....pool....oh yeah and to see John.

So I am signing off for the week. I will post pictures and keep a journal to keep everyone updated on what is going on. Someone come by my house!

They are not here yet

Hrmmm....it is so annoying keeping my house in the "unlived in" clean state. Not to say that I keep a dirty house (although without the added kids running around my house, it is proving to be an easier task...that and John is still gone :-) ehhe). I just don't like putting away the things that make my house a home. For example....my fridge.....it's white.....very white. I don't think I have seen the front of my fridge since Madison has been able to hold a crayon. It is very odd for me.

I am packing and readying my house for my parents arrival tonight. I know I just saw them but it is always exciting :-) And no, I didn't write that just cause they read this......I do it to keep myself in the will. My brother has so much to learn *sigh*

I leave for Costa Rica on Sat/Sun at 2:30am....we are staying at the Marriott...I took the "virtual tour" yesterday and let's just say....I can't flipping wait. Oddly enough, I am excited to visit the gym and walk around the grounds. Don't get me wrong, my lazy behind can't wait to sit by the pool with my pile of books/magazines/ipod and come back as dark as the guy down the street. We are also going to visit an active volcano. That just seems like such an odd concept. "Hey Honey, I know what we can do today...Let's go out to that volcano over there and peek inside...yeah I know it is spewing hot lava but what the h-e-double hockey sticks you only live once..let's see if we can catch some in a jar and bring it home" See where I am going with that?

John said I should brush up on mi Espanol. So I did what I always do when faced with a situation...I run to the bookstore to learn all I can about it. So I stood there looking for the "Learn Fluent Spanish so you don't insult the entire country in 48 hours" but I couldn't find that. So I settled on the 2 CD's that are still sitting in their package in my car along with a pocket dictionary. I just have to figure out how to conjugate the verbs again....Oh, this will be an experience I tell ya. Lo siento Senora...lo siento.

List it and they will come

It is official...yup....I have the sign in the front yard and everything. We are going to hopefully get some traffic in here and move this house. Hopefully they will take their shoes off cause I really hate cleaning my kitchen floor. I have done almost everything I could to make the house look perfectly unlived in and tidy. Please keep your fingers crossed that it goes quickly. It is getting cold in Worcester and I gave away all my winter clothes and refuse to turn on the heat :-)

I know most moms will say this but I have the greatest/funniest/smartest kids around. They make me laugh almost every moment I spend with them. We did our annual apple picking trip (without Daddy this year :-( so sad) but we picked enough apples for the rest of this year so I know we will have one or two left by the time he gets home. Maybe I will make him an apple pie when I get home....just maybe.....I mean, he is bringing me to Costa Rica to further deepen my tan and catch up on my reading....yeah, I can bake him a pie :-)

Time to go clean some dog poo and do all the little things that I keep putting off from day to day.....ahh....the joys of being a mom to a furry ones and non-furry ones...

Wow

I am starting to realize that I don't need half the crap that I had. Poor Goodwill is going to need an extra wing for all the Montes crap that we dumped, er, donated to them. I have to say though, I do go in looking for books and will occasionally peek around and never see my things that I have donated....who knows, my crap could be FLYING off the shelves. Maybe the people who work there will be calling me asking for more crap to give them.....hey, it could happen.

Cleaning man (can I tell you that was odd) and woman came in today so now (after I went behind them and got all the things they missed), my house is clean and ready to be listed.....do I hear 1.2 mil? ok ok, 1.1 but that is my final offer...

I had the afternoon to myself....no kids, no painter, no no one. It was so relaxing and wonderful. Only 10 minutes left until I have to go pick up my angels at the bus and then start up the taxi for karate. Fun fun....only 5.5 hours until bed :-)

I see the light...

The light at the end of my tunnel is almost here. The basement is now cleaned and ready to go! I do need to clean the kitchen again but it is going great. My kiddies were awesome in helping me get done with it!!!

Tomorrow the cleaning lady is going to be here to clean up all the surfaces that I missed. I am ecstatic and cant wait.

I just got back from running a couple errands and I have to say, I have the dorkiest bestest kids around. They just make me laugh all the time.....well, not all the time....there is the time that they make me want to pull my hair out one by one and glue it on John's head so it doesn't go to waste. Yeah, I think he would look good with shoulder length brown hair.

Finally....my serenity place

the front room

Next one

nope....user error.....i figured it out though....

no why? Eye am smrt ...

Here is the kitchen and living room

Next week....

The house is going on the market....it is the beginning of the end of our first house. John and I are the ultimate crammers.....fitting 11 years worth of updates into 3 weeks! We rock.....and now we will roll... roll into a new house that is! I don't tend to be super sentimental, however, I do have the first movie stub that John took me to, my cats baby teeth that fell out, the outfits that I brought both my kids home from the hospital in and various other material goods that mean something in my life time...but I am ready to move on up to the east side ( I will wait a moment for you to hum the Jefferson's theme song....go ahead)

Done? Good. I am sad to be moving but this is no longer my house. I mean all these white walls *bleck* I mean it is beautiful!!! I can't wait to have 3000 square feet to make all my own. I will be able to have John leave the room and not hear him/see him/smell him! Heaven...

On a sad note, I have probably put back on the 30 pounds that I lost but when I get to step out into my *own* pool wearing absolutely nothing....it will all be worth it....there is a visual for ya!

Since my stupid blog won't let me put on more than one picture or remove the one from above, I will have to do this in steps... the one above is the back room...

Holy crap we did it

Sorry for the harsh language Mom but I am just in shock. John and I lived through the ordeal of removing and installing the countertops. We both just looked at each other and said "why the *bleep* did we not *bleeping* do this *bleeping* earlier?" It looks awesome. As soon as I can, I will post pictures. Now to put the kitchen back in order....

This is all going to be worth it...

or so they say....

I got back from Mom and Dad's house Sunday. 10.5 hours in a car...I was glad to see my legs still worked when I got out. Even at my age, there is something comforting about Mom doing everything for you, sleeping in your old house, driving through the town you grew up in, seeing your family and doing your old "it's Christmas time let's play poker" routine. (I did lose $8 but I think that it is a nice donation for some jam.) I don't know when the next time I will be back there and that saddens me. The kids and I had a great time. We stopped at Niagara Falls on the way home.

The painter is done in the inside (YIPPEE!) and only has the shutters, front door, and awnings left. The house is starting to come together. Please say a prayer that John and I don't kill each other today. We are going to attempt to install two countertops. My prediction is that one of us is going to end up injured....and it isn't going to be me. ;-) I will send pictures when I find the cord to download them off my camera.

Hopefully this will all be worth it....if not, my house looks better than ever....let's just stay...

Just watching paint dry

Do you know how exciting that is? Actually, it is a busy day here today. It is Jack's last day coming to my house....which means.....I retire tomorrow. As excited as I am not to work, it is a little sad for me. I went through all my files on the computer and just trashed everything and felt as though I was throwing away my identity for the past 9 years. I can't wait to see who the new me is going to be....

a teacher? maybe
a writer? possibly
an accountant? I mean, I am only 3 classes away from this degree...
a woman that sits and watches boys do her laundry, clean her house, wash her car, and maintain her pool *ALL* while her husband is away at work doing whatever it is that causes him such stress? Now we are talking. I mean, if Mom isn't happy then no one is happy, right?

Patrick our painter finished the trim in the living room and Gary our second painter primed the front room and the mudroom. It is amazing how much it brightens it up....maybe it is the paint or maybe it is my sparkling personality as it walks in the room. One will never know.

Bob the floor guy is coming this am to sand the floor in the back room.....I should probably get dressed. It might be awkward if I open the door in my vicki's night gown....then again, maybe I would get a discount....hmm....

Happy Hump Day!

So...I had yesterday as my first non-working working day and I have to say, my motivation to get things crossed off my list was so close to being there but it wasn't. I did little things here and there but mostly I just did nothing. And you know what? It kinda felt good. I have to say.

Patrick the painter is finished with room one! It took 3 coats of paint to cover up the blue....whatever dumbass who chose that color should have had to paint that herself. Whatever, it is done now and looking AWESOME! I secretly want him to work faster but am lacking the polite way of saying it. I think the basement will be finished today, or at least if *I* was doing it, it would be done but whatever....John didn't want me to do it again.....isn't he amazingly wonderful? I dont' think it has anything to do with the paint splatters that I got all over the place or the fact that I b*tched and moaned about having to do it in the first place OR even the fact that I occupied my kids (who were 3 and 6 at the time) with whatever processed foods they could get their hands on at the time. Nope, he is just a thoughtful kind human being....today anyway.

Today is 9-3-08 and that means my father in law was born on this very day not that many years ago. I won't mention how many cause I don't know if he reads this and I am going to be visiting soon and don't need the bruise ;-)

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

We rested....

It was nice not to have to finish any projects except making a list of the things still left to do and having a BBQ! I swear that man can even make my tofu taste great on the grill....although I was made fun of at dinner, it was good and most importantly...heart healthy.

So above you can see the picture of the garage door before and after (if that doesn't alone make you want to buy the house.....I don't know what else will.) I also included the new bistro table. Note there are only 3 chairs out. Why you ask? We just have John go eat with Frank ;-)

Tomorrow the painter comes and I will spend time downloading pictures of what he does!!! EXCITING!