One down, a million to go.

Ahhhh, so this is what the office looks like when it's decluttered!  We should have tried this a while ago.  And if you think this is great...you should see the garage!

I choose you!

I'm pretty sure I talk just to hear myself talk.  I've spent the last week doing NOTHING but clearing out junk and packing the few things that we'd like to keep.  I've sorted through 10 years of stuff to make sure that the house is presentable for the new buyers.  Not a single self or cabinet would indicate that we still live here.

Until tonight.

Just was we are getting to cleaning out the bonus room...this is what Will comes home with tonight.  A whole collection on Pokemon Happy Meal toys.  Apparently Will's been waiting months for them to come out.  But Mom, they came with a Pokemon trading card too!

So I guess I need to find another box.  'Cause who can say no to that.  After all, Pikachu...I choose you!

Wrinkles removed!

Looks lovely, doesn't it?  That's all of my carpet wrinkles!

I have to tell you, I am so very impressed with the company that came out today to give us a quote on stretching our carpet.  I don't have high hopes when it comes to customer service, but these guys blew me away.

They were pleasant, polite and damn hard workers.  Once they provided the quote (which was awesome!), they gave us a few minutes to discuss it...because they'd booked in the time to do it...today.  So I sit here tonight with almost new looking carpet!  What a difference!  I almost hate to sell it now, lol!

We won't even talk about the photographer that stopped by to pick up a few "creations" she'd purchased from me...and proceeded to walk the house, bring her husband back tonight and expressed a HUGE interest in purchasing it.  Nope, that's too much to process tonight.

How much stuff?

Look at me, I missed the midnight cutoff again!  Too much work, too little time to take pictures and blog, lol!

As you all know by now, we're working hard to get the house ready to list.  It's a 24 hour a day job...especially as we look for a new one at the same time.

Keep your fingers crossed...if we make it through this (without killing each other), we can make it through anything.

Seriously....how much stuff can you accumulate in 10 years?!?!

Congratulations!

It's graduation night here in Maineville and a very special lady walked across the stage!  I'm so sorry that we couldn't be there to see it, but at least her biggest fan was present and accounted for.  We wish her all the successes in the world!

And mark your calenders now, the "biggest fan" got his magic date today too.  He'll be walking across the stage himself on May 17, 2015.  Commence the countdown!

We're home!

We're back and we're tired.  It was a long, great weekend.  Unfortunately, my phone and camera are being uncooperative...or I'm just too tired to figure out why they're acting up.

So here's the highlight of my weekend...with the promise that I'll update more tomorrow!

Party Time!

It's Party Time!!!

No, I'm not referring to camp this weekend...although that is my plan!

I'm giving everyone a heads up that I'm hosting an online Thirty-One party next week and I'm hoping you'll attend.  Jenny and I would both appreciate it!

I have a goal!  Wouldn't this be great for transporting food to camp and Blue Ridge?

Mark your calenders...May 29th at 8pm!

Be there or be square!

Get 'er done!

Is it Friday yet?  While I clean closets, scrub walls and vacuum every little inch of the house...all I can do is dream about Friday!

I'm so excited to spend a weekend with the boys! 

Hopefully cleaning the basement tomorrow will make the day fly by...although I doubt that's the case!

Off to work!

Do you remember your first job?  Not a part time, high school job...but your first real job?  The one that paid you 40 hours of pay for what seemed like a million hours worth of work?  Mine was at a dating service.  Yep, it paid the bills though!  And I was lucky enough to get my own phone, a cube to work in and a script to repeat dozens of times per day.

I certainly didn't get a name plate, a shirt, a key card or a lapel pin!

It's so nice to see your kids succeed.  It seems so cliche to say that you always hope for better for them....but it's so true.  It warms this moms heart to see them doing so well!

A great weekend!

It's amazing how much fun you can have in a weekend!  Especially when the temperatures drop over 20 degrees, it rains the whole time and the nicest day is full of "yard" work.  All of that and we still had a blast!

Hiking in the rain just reminds you how fast you can run when you have to (especially when you're carrying your camera!).  Raking wet leaved reminds you how strong your arms are.  Watching a Christmas episode of Little House reminds you how that love is the greatest gift.

See..we had a great time!

Thank you, Hunter, for watching the dogs so Jeff and I could sneak away for a much needed break!

Ugh!

Dear heavens, this has been the longest day.  I'm fairly certain it had far more than 24 hours in it.

But we're off to camp tomorrow so I shouldn't complain.  Can I complain about the 54 degree "high" of the day?  Or the fact we've had so much rain this week that I had to cancel sessions?

Maybe the weather is what made the day see so long.  Or maybe it was work?  Oh hell, who knows what it was...other than LONG!

Worth every penny!!!!

Doesn't he look handsome?

I think he looks at least 2 years older without all the metal.

It's a million dollar smile.  Not because he was lost the braces...but because I have NEVER seen him smile as much as he did today.

Nothing warms my heart more.

And in case you forgot....here's the before :D

Lunch with "the ladies"!

See, you thought I was kidding!  But here it is, 10 minutes until midnight and I'm just getting around to posting.  I try so hard to make it a midday thing, but that just doesn't seem to work.  It appears that my only free time comes after 11:30pm.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank Mom, Linda and Jill for kindly allowing Hunter and I to crash their lunch date.  But you kind of have to expect that when you're monthly field trip drops you in my back yard.

Lunch at The Golden Lamb was wonderful.  I can't believe that we've never made it there before.  The food was good but the company was awesome.

If only the car hadn't broke down with 15 miles left to go, the day would have been perfect!  Thankfully, everyone made it home safely (thanks to AAA) and we all could still laugh about it at the end of the night.

Just a few updates....

Whhooooaaa, can you believe it?  I'm finishing up todays post and it's not even midnight!

I was going to take a few minutes and show you pictures of Will's invitation to the academic awards ceremony on Friday where he's getting an award he knows nothing about.  But the invitation came home all wadded up in his pocket and it'll make a great blog for next week when we actually know what the award is for!

Then I considered blogging about the condition of Hunters room.  I'm still utterly amazed that all of that stuff fit in his dorm.  He's been sorting, repacking it and cleaning for days...and it's still a frightening site.  So that may be better of shared next week, when I can actually open the door to get a picture.

Next on the list was going to be the baby birds.  But I'm terrified to get up there to get pictures.  No, I'm not actually terrified of the babies...but alerting the cats to the nest is a HUGE fear.  So for everyone's safety, I've decided the nest is better left alone.  I'll miss out on pictures, but the babies will be safer that way.

So now I'm thinking that I don't have anything else to tell you.

Oh, but wait.  I do.  I have a confession.

I'm a quitter.  Today marks one week of being a quitter.  The good news?  I haven't killed anyone.  The bad news?  There have been a handful of occasions at which time I considered it.  And that was just today.

But either way, everyone is still alive and I've made it a week.  I know to a non-smoker, a week doesn't seem like very long.  But to a smoker or a quitter...it's been a lifetime!

So if I yell at you, hang up on you, ignore you, cry, complain or am just plain grumpy....please bare with me.  It won't last forever.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself!

Happy Mothers Day!

There are these two boys.  Each of them stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on them.  And every day, I am lucky enough to be the one they call Mom.

And since it's Mothers Day, I even let them take my picture!

Happy Mothers Day to all Mommy family members.  I love each of you and we all hope you had a wonderful day :D

It's Prom Night! Let's Celebrate!

What a wonderful way to end prom night!  My wonderful, mixologist husband managed to duplicate the wonderful Disney drink in the comfort of our own kitchen.  Mom and I loved it!

I've shared all of the fabulous prom pictures, but in case you missed them, here are all of the highlights!  I'd say that I can't believe how grown up they all look, but I've been saying that for the better part of the last year. 

I can't wait to hear all about it....tomorrow night when Will finally wakes up!

We're home!

I'm trying to think of the last time that I got to spend a few days with Hunter.  Just him and I.  I've dug through my memory bank as far as it goes...and I'm thinking that it was just before Will was born.   If I'm missing one though, I'm sure Hunter will remind me as soon as he reads this.

Anyway, let me just tell you what an amazing few days we had.  We worked.  We fished.  We took a million rides on the golf cart.  We laughed.  We joked.  We watched too much HGTV.  We cooked the first "meal" in the camper.  We sang along with every song on the radio.  We talked.  We listened.  And we decided that the best possible job would be flipping a house (did I mention we watched too much HGTV?).

It was an amazing week.  But all good things must come to an end.  I just can't tell you how thankful I am that we managed to squeeze in just a few days.

Now we're home and getting ready for Will's big prom weekend...which is just as exciting!

Mom's Away

Jeff filling in for Colleen. Yes, Colleen and Hunter took off camping for a few days so I get to fill in tonight. As you know, I normally give you the state of the union from the dogs perspective. However, this time, I actually get to spend an evening with Will and it only seems appropriate to get his thoughts on Mom being gone. So here goes:


Will: Sweet, Mom is gone. Garage parking is the life for me!

Will: Dang, Mom left. I knew Jeff would find extra chores!
Jeff: Ahh nice and clean.

Will: Sweet Mom is gone. A bonus night of Mexican is the life for me!

Jeff: Will Bed Time.
Will: Mooooooom, please come home!

May the Fourth (be with you!)

The luckiest mom on the planet, am I!!!

In addition to Hunter coming home and a wonderful evening with Miranda and the boys...it's International Star Wars Day!  May the Fourth be with you!

I know, it's dorky.  But it's also appropriate for Hunters homecoming.  The "force" is sweeping through the house and we couldn't be happier.  There is laughter, noise, loud music blaring down from the upstairs.  Just what the doctor ordered!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share the best view in the house....

Tick. Tock.

I've never been good at waiting!  And the last few days have been a million hours long.  Hunter will be home in the morning and we are having a family cookout tomorrow night!  I'm so excited I can't wait.  I've been waiting for this day since Christmas.  Tick. Tock.

Old Glory

This is my morning view.  Every morning.  I actually go out each morning just to look at it.  Call me silly or sentimental, patriotic or sappy.  But I'm amazed by it's beauty.  For just a few minutes each morning, the sun catches it just right and I'm in awe.  Have you ever seen it look so beautiful?

Zoo babies.

I live in a zoo. 

That used to be a metaphor.  It described the chaos and crazy that accounted for our day to day life.

Now, it's actually true.  With three dogs, three cats, countless fish and a bazillion birds...I'm certain that we could start charging admission.  I'm fairly certain that we spend more on pet food than we do at Kroger for us.  

That being said, I love them all.  Each of them bring something to our family.  Sometimes though, all they bring is craziness.

Sunday night, Zoe woke me at 4 am to go out because when she went out before bed, she was too busy drinking rain out of the down spouts to remember to pee.  Monday, I spend precious time that I should have been working scrubbing cat vomit out of the carpet (and why is it they can't throw up once..in ONE spot?)  And today, I spend a considerable amount of time coaxing Cat #3 out of the tree (she's afraid of cat #2 who does not belong to us!).

I couldn't live without them...but this week I'm having trouble living with them.

So I'm relaxing with a cocktail, hoping that tomorrow is animal disaster free.  If not, I'll be relaxing with several cocktails tomorrow!