What happens when your six year old learns how to read?

Well, you no longer are able to spell words you don’t want her to hear….you are not able to speed anymore…hehe Vivian is always fussing at Steven saying “the sign says 45 daddy” and she can see that he is going 60. 

In the car driving today…I was not listening to Viv prattle…I was thinking about what I had to do and where I had to go, then I heard her say “S-E-X what does that spell mom?” I didn’t know what to say!  Lol…I mean, my mind was running wild trying to think of where she got this from, where did she read it?  Was there a sign? ….then I saw she had my license in her hand. I said, “Oh, baby, that tells you whether I am a male or female. It says F, so I am a female, right? 

So…on we go…I grab the diet coke with one hand, driving with the other, and take a swig and I hear Vivian pipe up “Mom, your license says you are not supposed to drink and drive”.  I almost spit my coke everywhere…hehe.  I laughed so hard! 

Andrea

Easter Pictures 2011

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This is definitely one of the best times to have an old house…iron fences, columns and nice backgrounds galore for pictures.

Vivian took all of the pictures of me and Steven.  She did a great job.  She is going to be a great little photographer when she grows up. 🙂  She is reading this as I type it…hehe

Happy Easter!

KJV: Matthew 28:5-6

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Snorkeling Eggs

Snorkeling Easter Eggs

Our Easter eggs took a little snorkeling trip in the dye this year…hehe…these were fun to make.  Vivian receives a magazine each month and this was their featured project. 

Happy Easter Everyone!

Andrea

“House of the Leaning Pole”

"House of the Leaning Pole"

Has a certain ring to it!  We have kicked around ideas for a good name for our house.  We have also thought about renaming our house versus naming it by last name of the original owner.  BUT, I think “House of the Leaning Pole” is definitely descriptive. Everyone knows where my house is…its the one with the big leaning pole out front.  This is a very old picture.  Almost 4 years old.  I swiped it from Google Earth.  Since this picture, we had a bad ice storm and it caused the pole to crack at the base and it is leaning even farther now.  I am informed that it is AT&Ts pole and I am further informed that AT&T has been notified about it.  I just hope it does not fall over onto my house or fence. 

Come on AT&T….please come and replace this pole????? 😀  Please?????  It will save me the embarrasment of naming my house something dumb.  We don’t want that.

Andrea

All is right again….

You might remember my post about suffering a shock from receiving a $4,700 utility bill which, thankfully, turned out to be a clerical error.  This  month I suffered an equal shock by receiving a $110 utility bill which was NOT a clerical error!  Thank God!  Such extremes!  Hehe….

The $110 utility bill is not very surprising.  My house has ceilings of 13 feet, and heat rises, so in early spring, my house is pleasant as the natural design of the house keeps things pretty cool.  It is in the winter when I pay through the nose.  Hopefully, upcoming improvements, which includes an insulation project and solar panels (still investigating a good firm), will help lower the heating bills in the winter.

Happy Friday everyone!

Andrea

Welcome Spring!

From my banner swap...isn't it lovely?

New Kitchen Lights and the Butler’s Pantry

Five new lights and a piece of lumber sure can make a gal happy!  I have had the ugliest kitchen in the entire world for the last four years.  I don’t know what I hated the most…the awful floor, or the bank of cabinets that only collected junk.  We started ripping out the kitchen back during Thanksgiving, finished most of the laundry room addition and laid the floor, but we did not install lights or fully sheetrock and finish the laundry room. 

I received a text from a carpenter friend who had a few weeks before his next job and wanted to know if I needed any odd jobs done.  I had a whole list!  But, I settled on sheetrocking the laundry room, completely rewiring the kitchen and installing new lights, as well as finish the butler’s pantry.  He finished installing my lights and putting together the butler’s pantry today.  I am going to caulk, trim and paint the butler’s pantry myself.  Next week, he will sheetrock inside and out the laundry room and install a cabinet over my refrigerator.  Here are the pictures of what he has done so far.  I am sooooo excited!  If anyone is not impressed, you need to click here and see what the kitchen looked like when we moved in!  Watch the slideshow…it is quite entertaining.

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For the butler’s pantry, click here to see where it was and what it looked like.  We moved it back into its original location.  Now, this is what it looks like before caulk, trim and some pretty being added:

Well, people, I am excited!  Since Steven is now technically a GE employee and that means appliance discounts!!!  We have been shopping for a GE stainless steel, hidden control dishwasher.  I have been waiting on the white one to die, but it just has not given up the ghost.  To make ourselves feel better, we are telling ourselves that we can store the white one until we buy and redo another rent house.  We can use it there *wink*.  hehe…  My refrigerator and stove are stainless, so I would really like a dishwasher to match.

We have a lot of finishing work to do…baseboard, trim, quarter round, sheetrock, new dishwasher, painting the kitchen cabinets, etc. but I feel good!  We are moving right along!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Andrea

Alexandria’s Natural Wonder!

I bet none of you knew about one of the greatest natural wonders in Alexandria!  This natural phenomenon occurs about 3 times a year and is quite consistent.  What am I talking about?  A water geyser!  Of course!

Geyser

Friday I arrived home and received a knock on my door from the mailman who told me I had water in my yard.  So, I went out to the side of the house and noted a small, sprinkler type spray coming from the ground.  So, I walked over (not too close) to see what it was and to make sure it was not sewer.  We have had sewer blockage problems lately and have had the city out to clean out the block twice this past month.  I smelled chlorine, so I knew it was clean water.  I stuck my hand in the grass and there was a big hole in the ground.  Sticking my hand in the ground changed it from small sprinkle to a shooting geyser.  I went from getting my grass watered to a free pressure wash for my house!

I had to laugh while calling the plumber.  With old houses its one thing or another.  So, one of our friends came out and looked at it.  The old cast iron pipe cracked.  After 100 years it just finally gave out.  In under an hour it was fixed and everything was back to normal.  One side of my house looks really clean.

This phenomenon is quite predictable.  If you drive by next week, you might catch another geyser…albeit in another area of the lawn.  Check back and don’t miss it!

Andrea