This weekend past weekend while everyone was sweating out the near 100F weather, we escaped to the coast. When we arrived it seemed like it might be actually chilly as it was only 62F inland, which usually means it’ll be 5 degrees cooler on the beach. Forgetting jackets, we ran to FM to grab some on clearance, just in case.

Once we hiked down to the water (on the Oregon coast, you actually HAVE to hike to it) it was gorgeous! The boys were just in swimming trunks and that was it! We kept Griffin under the umbrella and he had a good time on his tummy just digging his fingers in the sand.
After being on the beach for a for a couple hours, Griffin had enough and fell asleep in the car seat. He slept there comfortably for about an hour. We built sand castles, blew bubbles, played squirt guns, and just had fun. By 6pm Maysen had enough and we headed up to our hotel room, which ended up being a 900 sq ft room with a tub (or private swimming pool, per Maysen) in the room. It had 2 TVs per room section, so after we ordered room service we ordered a movie for us and a movie for Maysen. Griffin did great, sleeping away right on schedule. The coastal fog had rolled in so we cozied up with the fireplace on and just had a good time.


Sunday morning was a good morning Nate and Mase went down to the water to fly their kites. Maysen kept yelling things up to me that sounded something like, "Hey MOM ... UGHI*EKAI GKWOKNGI KJSIWHAI". I just smiled and waved.

We made it home to discover Bailey had hurdled the couch and was stuck behind there, stuck between the couch and bay window. Apparently the previous night we had a thunderstorm and I can only imagine she leapt there for cover. I need to order her tranquilizers from the vet tomorrow. It’s funny because while living in Kansas she was so used to storms, and now she’s so intolerant of noise.

Nate has a 4-day weekend this weekend for Independence Day. He’ll get to see Maysen at swimming lessons Thursday and I’ll run in and work Thursday afternoon on the Triage desk. Gives me an outing and gives Nate some private time with the boys. Works out.

No moves yet on our house. It’s a slow market right now, so we just keep waiting patiently. If any of you are keeping tabs on the Olympic Trials, just know you’re looking at my city when you watch the track and field. This year the Track & Field Olympic try-outs are in Eugene at Hayward field. It’s been a big time for Eugene, but I try and avoid going to town these days. It’s neat sitting in my house watching it, knowing it’s just miles away from my house. It’s just weird …

Finish Line

Ta Da! Our little boy has been sitting up now for a bit, but just got pics recently. And he loves it!! You pick him up and he arches his back like 'I can do this, thank you!" He certainly is growing up and what a handsome little fella he's turning into!!

And with that, I'll close with the fact that tonight was his last dose of phenobarb. It's been a long long road with that junk and I'm glad it's over. I ponder over if he even notices, as his 1cc he's been getting over the last week is merely a swig. The last couple of nights he hasn't even finished his big honkin bottle which is what I mix it in, so I don't think there will be any big changes tomorrow at nigh-night time. We'll see. I'm just glad it's over ....

Official.

Sorry about the foggy pic, but camera phone. After a non-successful weekend of open house and realizing that there is so much more that goes into selling your house on your own than anticipated, we've officially listed our house with an agent. He is optimistic that our house will be sold within the next month, but I guess time will tell. We met with the builder again this morning for a bit to chat about a floor plan we're looking at and again we walked away feeling like this was the best decision we could be making right now. We feel lucky that we are in a position to be able to build a bigger home, so we're taking it. I think the longer we stay in this house will only make it harder to leave for everyone. Right now Maysen is excited at the thought of having a brand new house with stairs (his words) as we've toured a few with stairs and he's in love with them.

On the illness front, no one is better. Thankfully my wheezing is much better and cough is subsiding but Nathan and my throat are so painful we're both chewing down the ibuprofen. I got a good look at our throats this AM and we both have lovely little white pockets on them, so I had to call the office and was able to go in and I swabbed both our throats. We'll see what the culture grows (hoping no strep!). I had some extra penicillin left over from something, so I started both Nathan and I on it until we get the results. That way he can go back to work tomorrow. Fin has a runny nose still and a cough as well as Maysen but you'd never know there was anything wrong with him.

On a note that Rochelle will appreciate: yesterday while we were having the open house, we caught Maysen swinging from his bed through the air on his curtains. He got a firm warning and sure enough, within the hour there he was again -but this time carrying out his bent like a "U" curtain rod that had given way. "Uh Oh ....." is all we got. So, Mase currently has no more curtains in his room. Good timing as staging doesn't look so hot with no curtains and holes in the wall.

Oh! Ok, so speaking of Maysen and open house. Last week a couple had come to look at the house. I put Maysen outside to play and just as I was bringing them around to go outside, there he was, just inside the door......BUCK NAKED. The couple stood there ... horrified, but it took me another glance to figure out their disgusted look. He had poop allllllll over him. He had pooped his lovely pants, which he seems to like to do for attention these days and while attempting to remove them, smeared it all over. So there he is, in his glory. Needless to say, the couple walked passed the loaded underwear and kindly said "thank you". No further word from them. Gee. Imagine that.

With that I'll close. Keep praying that our favorite lot will be available while we wait to sell our house. I'm hoping that although this might be a long road, it'll flatten out and become less bumpy. One can always hope, right?

The day before I went to Baker City last week, it snowed. Yes ... in June, it snowed. That made for many of the kids to end up with various ailments: ear infections, pink eye, coughs, and snotty noses. We ended up with coughs and colds here ... and then I started getting a red eye. I let it go until I started coughing so bad I couldn't lay down because my wheezing was waking me up. I went to my doctor yesterday and had to miss work because I did, in fact, have double pink eye and bronchitis (treated with 3 different inhalers - a bronchodilator, an old steroid inhaler I have here and a new one). I'm already feeling better, but the biggest punch in the stomach was having to admit that the reason I got pink eye was because I let down my paranoid-nurse persona and used my Visine after letting my nephew (who was later diagnosed with pink eye) use it. What a "DUH!" moment. These are the things I teach as a nurse, but it's a "Do as I say, not as I do" moment. And it wasn't even that I "knew better" - I just brain farted the fact that he had used my drops prior to being diagnosed, then I used them.

This weekend we're holding an open house. In fact - it's going on right now, which tells you just in fact how well it's going. Grrr! We had a realtor come over on Thursday stating he had 2 couples that were looking for housing in our price range and he wanted to look at the house first before he directed them here. No word on them. Then the sisters were back with their parents yesterday to view the house and basically we got an offer to buy if we'd accept a retainer and decline any other offers that came through until they sold THEIR house. We kindly declined that because we'd like to sell as soon as possible to obtain our land and start building (that's the plan as of right now). I know there's a plan for us, and we're just going with the flow, but I wish that flow was more toward the SOLD aspect!

Our next move is if nothing moves today or tomorrow, then Monday we're buying an MLS listing through a realtor in Eugene. You can continue to sell on your own, but for $X they'll list it online and put it to realtors in surrounding area - at least getting more foot traffic. If a realtor brings a buyer, it's up to you to pay some commission to that realtor. We need more foot traffic because of the area we're in, doing it on our own isn't going to make for a quick sale like we were hoping. So, we're holding on for this ride!! And we love our house and it's not as though we're homeless so we'll stay as long as we need to with a smile ... but we'd really like to get moving on a bigger home!

Griffin is sitting on his own now. Of course he'll wobble a bit, but for the most part he's sitting all by his lonesome. He insists on sleeping on his tummy, which scares me but no matter how many times I go in and roll him over, he just goes right back! He's eating like a champ these days ... eating food 3-4 times a day, and lots of it! Those Stage 1 foods are a joke to him, they just make him mad! We go to the doctor on Friday for his 6mo check and I'm bringing Maysen along to get his eczema looked at. Poor kid has very sensitive skin and no matter what I do, I can't keep ahead of it!

Ok, I'm going to go back to staring out the window hoping someone stops. Do you think that scares them off? A wild pink-eyed lady staring out the window hacking her lungs out. Yikes ...

Greensburg = Green

Some may or may not know that I'm originally from Kansas - spent my whole life there up until 2003. So when I learned about the massive F5 tornado that ripped through Greensburg last summer, destroying the town, it hit home ... literally. One of the neighbor boys I grew up with lived with his wife and small baby girl in Greensburg at the time of the tornado. Luckily, they're OK.

So, when I was combing through the massive list of channels to chose from, I stumbled across a program entitled simply "Greensburg". When Nate got home we watched it and discovered it was actually a Docu-Series documenting the towns rebirth. What makes it more interesting is that they're taking a massively different approach and becoming the US ... no, WORLD's role model and rebuilding all eco-friendly, or "green" (I think the towns' name is appropriate, Greensburg, KS). You can watch the challenges, obstacles, different views, frustration as this town rebuilds ... the right way.

Read more here about this heroic effort. This is just one more reason I'm proud to say I'm from Kansas.

these are the days of ... "Build the House"

There's one thing about me that people who know me well cringe upon. And that is the fact that I get spontaneous ideas and go balls-to-the-wall to get whatever Tasmanian devil-like project complete. The latest one? We've (I've) decided that this house is too small for us. For one, the open floor plan provides almost no get-away space and being a full time mom now vs having work and things to be away from the house for, I am appalled at how frustrating keeping the only living space I have somewhat tidy because Maysen wants to play toys. His room is a bit small so he'd like more room to play ... and that means it gets thrown all over the house. Not a good plan from my stand point.

I feel validated when I can get my husband to agree to my tangents :) So, we both solidly put our house up on the market Tuesday night. I left for Baker City (more on that later) on Wednesday to meet up with Maysen who was there with 6 other grandkids, attending VBS. Needless to say that it was a 3-ring circus. It was great fun, don't get me wrong but that house was just tooo small for 4 adults and 7 grandkids. 5 of the 7 are under the age of 5. Yea. The kids had a great time, but I think we're all agreed that we're glad to be on our one schedules/lives again!!

So, when we decided to sell, we decided that we're not going through a realtor and we're trying to sell it on our own. We learned doing this would save us at least $12,000. We had one prospect right off the bat; a pair of sisters looking to move their parents, who currently live up the mountain, closer to them. One sister walks down our secluded street daily just to look at my house, per her. When she saw it up for sale, she stopped dead in her tracks to call her sister. They came Saturday to look and loved it! One catch: the parents have to sell their house on the mountain as well, but do have perspective buyers. One sister was frantic about telling me to call her if we got another offer, as she would try and top it to get the house.

Today we looked at more homes and found a builder who is VA certified (only way we can get a VA loan) who just developed a subdivision near our current home, but closer to the high school more out of town. We loved his work and the options he provides. The lot we would love to build on is backed up against a nature reserve which means we'd never have anyone building back there ... and the view is AMAZING! We could put a gate on our back fence that allows us to go back in and just explore. Almost like an extended backyard. Of course our house has to sell first before our pipe dreams can happen, but we're doing 2 open houses this weekend coming up, so pray that it proves fruitful. To be able to move on building a much bigger home in a great area would be fulfilling I believe. I would love to have a bedroom for each boy, an office for Nate, and a big bonus room as a playroom for the boys. The office would double (by use of Murphy Bed in the wall) as the spare room for guests. After looking at his house plans the builder provided, we've settled on a couple for him to review with our changes. Do you think the cart is before the horse on this one .... cause don't I have to sell my house first?? Ahhh, yes!

Follow the "Build Your House" soap-opera here, anytime. I'll keep you updated on how the open houses go this weekend. I'm hoping we get an offer from having it!

before and afters

I told K I would post a spring picture of my yard. Thanks to the cool weather and rain, it's looking great! If it would only look like this year-round. I'll still come give pointers if you'd like, otherwise keep my book as long as you'd like!

I have mentioned before that Bonnie has been working on the painting of Maysen and the Polar Express. The above picture was one I toke during Maysen's Polar Express Party for his birthday when we took his cousin, Jonas, up to Portland with us and we rode the Christmas Polar Express train. Nathan and I decided to pick this picture for Bonnie to paint. Originally we thought she was just going to paint this picture, as is. It wasn't until later we learned she was putting more of a Polar Express twist on the painting. Nathan was a bit skeptical, but this is how it turned out:

Stunned, we brought it home and decided it needed to be displayed somewhere where everyone can see it. We are so proud of how it turned out and this will forever be such a priceless possession to us. The details, the love, the emotion put into it is mind blowing. She does all sorts of paintings and many portraits like this for hire. If anyone is interested, comment me your email and we'll exchange information.

Here's another "before" picture of Maysen after school got out. I decided that the Shaggy Dog needed a haircut but I didn't want to wrestle Fin into the salon, etc. So I decided that SOMEDAY our weather will warm up and he'll feel good to have this buzzed. So out the clippers came (mind you I've never done this). In no time his hair was gone and I think it's adorable. Little fuzz head. My Peach Bean.

Speaking of Maysen, he is gone all week as of today. He's one of 6 cousins all going up to BC to stay with Gr Sherrill and Papa. This coming week is Vacation Bible School at Baker City Christian Church where Nate's father (Papa) is the pastor. Every year they bring the grand kids up to attend VBS, and this will be Maysen's first year. Needless to say it's Q.U.I.E.T around here and I'm enjoying it. Talk to me in 2 days and I'll be bawling, missing him so. Griffin and I are going up on Wednesday to stay out the week visiting, so I'll see him soon.

It's movie day at our house so back to the movies...

garage sale

The fund-raising garage sale was a success on Saturday. The total we got from the sale was $2082.55. Of course $200 goes back to the school because that's what they gave us to start change. $1900 for one days' work is not bad at all, considering most everything was marked $0.25!! It felt great being able to give that to the school knowing it's going to in-need families. Now if I could only have that kind of luck on my own with my own stuff! We kept some of the good stuff that didn't sell and will try and sell it in Nate's mom sale on June 20th. Whatever sells at that sale will also be added to the $1900. I had great support this week with Nate's step mom in town to help, my sister in law Jessica came on (EARLY) Saturday to spend the day with my boys, and Nate's mom came and helped during the sale. Nate's step sister and husband also helped out on Friday and Saturday. Without everyone's help, I don't think I would be sane. It was a success because of everyone's help and support.

I have confirmed plantar fasciitis, per the doctor on Friday. I will be doing physical therapy, pain medication, and anti-inflammatories until this is finally resolved which could take 12-18 months. My blood pressure also continues to be elevated since my pre-eclampsia (which apparently hasn't fully resolved!). I thought it was just because of stress from Fin's sickness, etc but it hasn't gone down. My doctor has decided to treat it so now, despite my opinion, I'm on BP medication. I'm hoping now that the sale is over maybe some stressors are gone and it will regulate out. We'll see.

Wednesday is Maysen's school picnic, although his last day of school was last week. Nate has that day off since he will be heading to Seattle soon for classes. On Saturday Maysen goes to Papa and Gr Sherrill's house for Vacation Bible School that week. It will be nice to have quiet for a couple of days!

Hope you've had a good week.