My clone

My aunt and uncle came to visit us today before we leave for NC. My uncle Terry has this bond with Naydine. They get along good. Anyway, they brought along an album from when I was 2-3 years old. The only difference between me and Naydine is that her hair might be a little bit curlier than mine was and I was chubbier. Otherwise, I can't wait to post those pictures along side a picture of Naydine because y'all will die. And I can't wait to tease my mom for not telling me that we are identical twins. I know it was a long time ago but it is UNBELIEVABLE.
The bed is calling my name. I wake up every morning feeling HUNGOVER because I'm so wiped out. Makes me think I should just get drunk so that feeling is worth it:) And, I don't think I've showered in several days, but I can't even remember. Which means I must shower tomorrow.
3.5 days and I'll be in NC. Crazy.... sad, fun, crazy. I have no idea what Naydine's response is going to be but she is sure going to miss her Papa. She'll play down in the shed while he works on his bikes, for hours. Then she'll ride the wheeler and feed the horses and then get a ride on the Gold Wing. After that, she sits on the Iron Horse and watches Papa while he works on the Gold Wing. Does anybody else's old man have a 1. Iron Horse 2. Gold Wing 3. Honda CBR ??? Well, Eli's dad does and it's fricking hilarious. As if 3 bikes isn't enough:)
So, poor Naydine. All that and then I move her back to a townhouse. Sorry honey.....

I was thinking that this might be it for awhile, but, it's not like I don't have access to a different computer. So... maybe I won't be away for awhile. But, at least I'll be able to play with my kids again. Geez.... this have been way too much.

So, I have about 110 hits on my rental website and I finally have 2 people interested. Asking where they can pick up the app!! Yeah!! This is just way too good. I hope that they are good people and that they will WANT it. Anyway, on the other side of things, my current renter thinks they'll be out by the 30th. WTF... I am needing to know!! I know she wants to know really bad too but.... geez. Oh well, it will all work out. She's just waiting on orders and the Army is slow but, they normally pull through. Right??

Well, I still have to pack up my computer and the car carrier still has yet to come tonight. I think he's lost....

Yeah!!

Finally, we are getting somewhere. I have had 1 inquiry from my Craig's List ad!! The free ad.... gotta love that:) Who knows if they'll take it but, at least they are going to look at it tomorrow! Yeah!!!

Plus, the car carrier will be here tonight to pick up our cars. I'm feeling.... trapped??!! And the movers will be here tomorrow at 9am. We are getting somewhere. I am so overwhelmed right now!!! But, it'll all be over soon and life will be back to normal. Right?? heheh.....

I still have a ton to do, including packing this computer. But that'll have to wait till tonight. It's a gorgeous day and my kids need to get outside!! Me too!!

For Rent $1350/month

So I've had 63 website viewings of the townhouse and not a single email of inquiry. I'm getting pissed!! Granted, it's only been 5 days but, last time I had it rented in something like 7 days. Just too easy the first time around I guess.

Here's what I have posted. Would you be interested or no?? Tell me where I'm going wrong, or is this just a hard time of year for people to move. Especially since school has already started. AAhhhh....

Executive style living within 10 minutes of Ft. Lewis. Master suite has vaulted ceiling, gas fireplace, beautiful ceiling fan, double sinks, skylight, jetted soaking tub, separate shower and huge walk-in closet. Kitchen has maple cabinets, ceramic tile, built-in microwave, large TRIO refrigerator and pantry. Each bedroom has its own private full bath, custom wood blinds and paint throughout. Upstairs laundry and fireplace in family room as well. Enjoy the private deck plumbed for a gas barbecue. New air conditioner with high-tech computer thermostat! Fully maintained landscaping with sprinkler system. Clean and quiet neighborhood close to schools, tons of brand new shopping and restaurants, and bus line. Call or email for more information. Townhouse living is the new rave!!

The ad already lists stuff like 3BR/3.5BA, 2200SF, stuff like that. So I'm not missing any of that. Does it not look appealing because it's a townhouse? I know the rent is not too high. I'm probably one of the least expensive listings around. Seriously.....

Anyway, help a sista out and tell me where I could improve. And remember, I'm not there to take different pictures so keep that in mind. Thanks!!

New Blog Colors

For Fall. Are my colors fall-like??


This is me trying to take pictures.

Today was a good day. I got to meet Lucy Johnson. Very cool. Paul and Lib rock at being parents. Learning how to tag-team it. It was great to see them. Lib looks awesome!! I think her face is skinnier than mine. WTF??!! hehe:) Good job Lib!!

I loved this picture of Lucy and Lib. They are just looking at each other in the eyes.... I don't think my kids did that at 3 days old. Precious.

So after I got home from Libby and Paul's, I thought I might get off the slacker-train and take some pictures of my kids. Since the weather changed from 40's to 80's (only in MN of course), I thought we could do outside and try to get some shots. Well, it's be helpful if I even knew how to use a camera??!!!?!! Some day... we'll see. Anyway, we're sitting in the grass and Dane rips out a huge handful of grass. Of course I don't have a picture of this, but, what a lug!! He's such a tough guy... I think he's going to ask for a steak tomorrow. It's crazy.

And my little outdoors-girl, Deany Cox. That was she calls her self. Or sometimes Naynay. Or Naydeany... depends on how good she's talking. She's awesome at saying Nasty, Raunchy, Disgusting, Stinky... as these are all the words I use when she's crapped her pants. Which, she pooped on the potty tonight, again. This is progress. Yeah!! She's got pee down, unless she's playing outside. She doesn't see the point of even taking the time to remove her underwear before peeing. So, she's kind of like her mom:) Kidding...
Here she is, all by herself on a horse. Yeah, this is my kid? I do not like animals. I had a hard time removing a tiny tree frog from the bathtub tonight. I think she's not like me in animal arena. Sorry Nay, NO DOG FOR YOU. However, equestrian is HUGE in the area we are moving to. So, I think I might be able to spring for some lessons. Until I see the price tag for the riding apparel and boots. Crap..... we don't have to buy a horse, do we?? Ok... dance lessons it is:)



Eli went and looked at the new house today. He thought that it was good. Not real big, that our garage will be full of our stuff so don't plan on parking in the garage. He said that Naydine's room was really nice. Vaulted ceilings, large, and she has her own bathroom. So..... that'll be fun. Let's see if she'll sleep upstairs by herself or if she's going to be scared. It'll be interesting.

Another thing I wanted to add to the blog was a recipe. I know, come on. Who even wants it, you know? But, if anybody needs fiber in their diet like I do, this is a good one. You know, fiber, the thing Americans don't eat and we're hungry for a snack 1 hour after eating a meal? Yeah, that's me. What, there's no fiber in chips? WTF...... no wonder I ate the whole bag. Anyway, I brought these for Lib today because they're good for getting things flowing.
This is from the Saint-Tropez Diet. Heard of it? Well, we tried it because you can drink wine on the diet. I thought I could handle it. Well, I pretty much loved all the food but it was so labor intensive, I couldn't keep up. And I'm a stay-at-home mom. How do working people do this diet? Well, they don't. But, if I can ever go to Saint-Tropez, GAME ON! Here goes....

Oat Bran Flax Muffin

1 c. flour
1/2 c. oat bran flour
1/2 c. flaxseed meal
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 T. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1 1/4 c. carrots, shredded
10 ounces apples, diced small
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped
3/4 c. berries-raisin blend
1/4 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs, mixed
1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Blend flours, flaxseed meal, brown sugar, baking soda, bkg powder, salt, cinn, and ginger in a bowl. Mix in carrots, apples, walnuts, and berries-raisin blend. Add the canola oil, vanilla, eggs, milk, and mix until well incorporated. Fill muffin pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Note: This recipe can be quite laxative.

That is honestly what is says, but, it's never worked like that for me. Which, disappointing since I probably at 6 muffins in one day.

Is this post long enough?? Geez.....

Slacking....

I have been slacking at taking pictures of my kids. Well, just pictures of Dane. I haven't had any professional pictures taken yet either. I am going to do that first thing when we get to North Carolina. Dane will be 6 months then and that's a good age. He can sit up and hold stuff, etc. He's officially 20 pounds, I had him on the scale today. And Naydine is 24 pounds. Yeah.... he'll pass her up any month now. Dane has also been a huge champ at helping me write emails lately. Heck, he'll be at 100 wpm by the time he's 9 months.... And 9 month is the onesie that he wears. Pants... he can wear a 12 month. Naydine can wear 12 month pants. But they are like capri's on her little butt.

I used to have a baby website, but this will be the spot to view now. I can't keep up with all this stuff!!:)

Congrats to Lib who had her baby on Friday. Welcome, Lucinda!!

Here are a few pics of my kids..... I can't ever get any good shots of Dane. I think he's unphotogenic. Hehe.....

Psyc!

Ok, I guess the townhome isn't rented. But no big deal......

I've been working on a few ads today. I have 2 posted.... which is good for me. I think I'll call the housing office on post now. It'll be good....

I'm just packing. Leave a comment on your funniest or best moving experience!!

Itemized list

Today:
Eli left for NC
Hopefully Libby has her baby!! I'm just way too excited to hear the news. Cell phone is by me, 24/7.

17th:
Car carrier could possibly be here (they give you a 7 BUSINESS day window. WTF?)

20th:
Movers WILL be here

21st/24th:
Closing on the new townhouse

25th:
The kids and I are flying to NC
The movers could possibly be delivering on this day as well.

So..... Any pointers on how to fly solo with your 2 children?? I have some ideas but I want to know if anybody has experience in this are??
I'm going to bring a seat for Dane to sit in. I'll bring Naydine's portable DVD player. Snacks. Toys. Vicodin?? Hehe... just kidding!! Any thoughts? Benadryl? Kidding!! No wait, I'm not. I actually read on Dr.Sears. com one time that you can give it to your kids for a flight and let the antihistamine (sp!!) take over. Put, don't overdose. I don't think I'm prepared for Benadryl this time.... but, I have done it with Naydine before.
One memory of the first time we flew with Nay.... She was about 3.5 months old. We are taking off, the nose of the plane is in the air and wheels on the ground, and she takes a massive dump. Was she scared... I don't know but damn, it was up her back. Has anybody tried to change a duke that big in the airplane bathroom. I had to bring the skymall mag with me and use that as a changing pad.... So, with the experience in my back pocket, I will pack extra clothing for Dane. Good thing I posted that or I probably would have forgotten by now.

Update on the rental house... I think my neighbor/good friend is going to rent it from me. What a doll..... I still have to get the final ok from her but, I just trust these guys to live in my house. I know they are clean, good people. So.... talk about taking a load off. And if they end up not renting it, then she'll help me getting it rented. Thank God for good friends!!

Well, off to keep packing and play with my kids. Have a great day everybody!!

A lot to do....

Ok, so we have a renter in our townhouse in WA. They are in the Army and the plan has always been they would rent from us till the summer of '08 and then they'd be moving on to Texas or wherever their dream destination was. I've never been to Texas but.... good luck with that. Anyway, she hates it in WA state. She hates it so much that she hates my house and all the people and her dream job. I think it's just the whole bad attitude that takes you down in life. I think that's been me a few times in the last month but thank God I have a renter who is an EYE OPENER. Anyway.... they are moving out at the end of the month to Colorado. He just got a new job today and they will be gone. She actually hasn't even called me yet. My neighbor called me to let me know that my renter is screaming for joy from the rooftops. So I'm guessing I'll get the email/call by tomorrow.
Wait, I just checked my voicemail. She must have called me when I was out of earshot.
So... this means I need to get her out of my townhouse and get it ready to rent again. THIS IS SUCH A PERFECT TIME FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. WHAT THE HELLLLL?????!!!
Anyway, life goes on and good thing I have a few neighbors that are friends and they can help me out a little bit.
I've been trying to coordinate the movers, car carrier, flights, etc. And now I'll coordinate this rental. And do you know the only good thing about it? That the housing market sucks so bad right now and it's so hard to get a mortgage (because of all the foreclosures) that people HAVE to rent. So I might be able to get somebody in there ASAP. As a matter of fact, one of the neighbors who rents already is interested. So..... cross your fingers for me.

On a brighter note, I have to report some personal progress. In an earlier post, I talked about a few things I would like to do in life. One, of which, was sewing. And I got out the old sewing machine my aunt had given me, got a little help threading the needle, and sewed 4 pillows for my sister-in-law, Amy. Lets just say, thank God they are only pillows. I can not sew a straight line. There is no way on earth that I'll be making any clothing. They would probably all be size 0 after I got done with them. But, at least I did it!! Yeah!!!

I've also been thinking a lot about the past with the change of season. Just what I was doing last fall or fall 10 years ago my senior year. The smell of the air, how it reminds you of high school sports and football games. Aaaahhh... fall is such a good time of year.

I knew I would suck at this blogging thing

It has been 2 weeks since my last blog. I feel like I'm in AA. What the heck??

Ok, I'd have to say it's been slightly busy. So, I'm sure I'm forgiven, right?

First things first.... We are buying a house. Well, a townhouse. Again. Anyway.... we are making the big move to North Carolina now. We've been in MN at Eli's parent's house for 11 months. This was not the plan. Yes, we are 28 and 27 years old. Talk about losers, huh? Talk about the longest transition in the world:) They are great people, thank God!

Mom, if you are reading this before I get to tell you, I am so sorry. But I tried to call you today and you didn't answer the phone. So... we'll talk more later.

Here are a few pics of the new place. And I don't want to speak too soon because we haven't actually closed yet. But... here it is. This will be home for probably about 9 months and then hopefully we'll rent this one out as well. This is the plan.

I think I'm going to like it. We haven't even SEEN it yet. Just the pictures. Holy crap.... talk about crazy!??!! We are trading out the black appliances for stainless and I love the open floor plan. I'm all about open floor plans.... this way I can cook, see the kids, and hang out with Eli and his TV all at the same time. You know, I just don't feel left out with the open floor plan:)

So today Eli has been shopping loans and deciding on that. Very helpful that he was a loan officer for a while. Nice... Me, I've been working on the movers. Ouch.. talk about spendy. And there's no way I'm driving 1300 miles with a 2 year old and a 5 monther. Noooooo way. So... I have to arrange for auto transport and flights, etc. We are going to be so fricking broke. Oh well.

Then, get this crap. My renter in WA calls me and tells me that they are probably going to be leaving at the end of the month, on orders, to Carson. Could this happen to me at a better time? As if I have time to fly to WA and check them out of my place, get a new renter in there, etc. So I'm at the crossroad of selling or renting. Anyway.... we'll see if they even leave for sure. Then I'll deal with it. But DANG! And real helpful that the market sucks so bad right now.

So...... that's what we've been up to.

Eli leaves for work in a week and then I'll have to deal with the movers. We have to have everything packed and they load/unload. Which saves money. Cool. So, 1 week to get mostly packed up. This will probably be my last blog until Eli leaves. Then I'll be back to Ms. Efficiency and getting twice as much done in a day:)

Even though I haven't been writing, I've still been reading all your blogs. I love them.