Please Watch This If....

you text, know anyone who DOES text and pass it on.

There are too many deaths caused by texting. People need to wake up! Save a life or two, pass it on.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/27/atandt-releases-dramatic-anti-texting-while-driving-documentary/

Nothin' but the kitchen....counters

Now you're seen my post about the kitchen floor. Well now I have an update on the kitchen counters. They're in!....mostly. The main counter top in completely installed. The smaller one is cut to fit but not installed yet. But it's still functional. This past weekend Jake decided to take on the counters. He knew he would be leaving for BWI airport early Monday morning and he wanted to leave me with lovely new counters. So he started to work on Saturday. He measured and cut the new counters to fit the space. Things were coming along nicely. He was able to take out the old counters and place the new counters in its place. He got the new (main) counter placed and ready to have the sides ironed on then filed down. We used wood glue to secure the counter. Then Jake placed the sink in the counter, perfect fit! But when Jake went under the sink to hook it up he saw a problem. first off the p-trap was cracked in half. Second the long pipe (don't know the official name) wasn't secured to the other pipe, which meant it could spring a leak at any moment. He called for reinforcements. He was able to wiggle the pipe free and found that the pipe was completely clogged with 50+ years of debris that had been put down the drain. It.Was.Nasty! So being that is was Sunday night at this point all the stores were closed and he had to leave early for the airport so the kids and I prepared for a sinkless week. It was no fun. But we survived. Jake came home late Wednesday night with all the parts he needed and put the sink back together, clearing out the line as much as he could. So I now have a working sink AND new counters, right in time for Christmas! Yay! Thank you Jake!

 The smaller counter- before

 The main counter- Before

 The cutting board installed into the old counter top. How nasty is this? Can you imagine how old the bacteria is on that thing? Whoever invented this should be shot. Sick. (Notice in the above picture that we covered it with a trash bag and I would then cover it with a towel and use that area as a drying area for dishes.)

 Jake measuring.

Tape before cutting to avoid chips in the counter.

 Cut.

 Bye-bye old nasty counter!

 Hello, new counter! Welcome to your new home! I think you'll be happy here.

 Iron on the sides.

 File it down.

 Watch out! That thing is loaded! And he means business!
 :)

 Caulk the sink.

 Placing it in.

 The bad p-trap that started all our problems.

 And the nasty loose pipe that gave us even bigger problems!

 Ok, tell me that is not SICK!

 *GAG*

 Calling for reinforcements.

 Jake's duck-tape wall to keep the cold air and smell down while he was in Baltimore all week.

 Jake's back from Baltimore and the second thing he did was fix the sink. And in case you're wondering the first thing he did was hug and kiss his wife. :)

 He was happy to be home, even if it meant he had to do some work.

 Putting my faucet in.

 My handsome man.

Yay! A working kitchen!


Merry Christmas, friends!
xoxoxo

Feb 12, 2002 -- Aug 21, 2009

Back in late 2001- early 2002 I decided I would adopt one of my dear friends puppies when they were born. I decided before they were born that I wanted the runt. I preferred a male and the runt. But I would have loved a female as well. I asked my boyfriend at the time (now husband) if he would be okay with it, and he was. And I asked for some extra time at work so I would have enough cash to buy him. Well, Feb 12th came and the puppies were here!! I was SO excited! They were at my best friends house so I went to visit a lot. We gave all the puppies fun names and I named my runt Mohave. He was adorable and tiny. I loved him. He seemed strong and playful. Perfect. Well, a few days before I would be able to take him home something tragic happened. He was stepped on or kicked by one of his brothers or sisters and he wasn't as strong as we had thought. He passed away. We were all devastated. We had a little service. I cried so hard that day. My friends parents said they had 2 males left that hadn't been purchased yet so I could have my choice from them. One of them was "Spottie". We called him that because he was the only puppy with a huge white spot on his back. He was so sweet and always played with Mohave. So I picked him. He was my Tuzigoot. My Tuz. I had no idea that day when I picked up that boy that he would become my best friend. The one who never got mad at me for yelling or losing my temper. The one who would always be with me when I was sad. The one who would cuddle with me when I was lonely. Tuzi came with me everywhere. He came to work with me. He went to the store with me. I planned my day around things I could do with him. He was truly my best friend. Tuzi was a year old when Jake and I got married. Then in 2005 we had our first baby, Lucinda. And Tuzi was a champ! He let that baby do whatever she wanted to him and he didn't move a muscle. He loved Lucinda and Lucinda loved him. He was so patient. I didn't know when I decided to take Tuzi home that bernese mountain dogs life span is really short, 6-9 years. The time went by too quickly. My time with Tuzi was cut short by several tumors he had in his body. He was taken from us while I was pregnant with Titus. It was August 21, 2009. This service was much harder than the one we had 7 years earlier for Mohave. This was my boy, my best friend, my love that I was putting in the ground. It didn't help that I was pregnant and emotional and that I had 2 little children asking me why Tuzi couldn't get up to play with them. And asking me why I was crying. It was excruciating. It still is. Even now as I write this my eyes are full of tears. He will always be 'that dog'. The dog you think about when someone says "cat or dog?" or "did you ever have a favorite pet?" He was it. (my cat is pretty great too she's pushing 20 years now so I may be writing something like this for her soon).

Since Tuzi passed I hadn't been able to look at his pictures without filling up. I still do. But I feel like its time for me to share his story, his impact on me and my family. Everyone loved Tuzi. You just had to. He sat next to you and looked up and you could tell he wanted you to pet him. He had gentle eyes and he was well behaved. Never jumped or licked (unless told to...."Tuzi dance" or "give me a kiss Tuz"). He was a love.

We love you Tuzi. At least now I know you're not in pain.

 Tuzigoot and I on the day I brought him home.

 Me (pregnant with L) and my aunt with Tuzi.

 My Grandma and Tuzi

 My brother with Tuzi

 Me and Tuzi

 Tuzi in the snow

 Tuzi in a shirt...because I could. He didn't mind. :)

 Tuzi and Lucinda (13 months)

 Tuzi and Lucinda (16 months)

 Jake and Tuzi the week before he passed away.

 Tuzi and I (very pregnant with Titus) the week before he passed away.

 Wrapping Tuzi for burial.

 Lucinda picked a beautiful flower to put on him before he was buried.

And one for on top.

This is how I will always remember him. Smiling.

Nothin' but the Kitchen Floor

A few days ago my fantastic husband surprised me with new counters and flooring for the kitchen! I am thrilled!   I have been waiting for new floor and counter tops since our first house more than 7 years ago. This is so exciting for me. Well, yesterday Jake and I started working on the kitchen floor. Once we got rolling we pulled all the old floor up pretty quickly. While I was working on the floor I started to get a slight allergic reaction to the glue (my arm was really itchy and a little swollen) so I took a break for a little while. Jake did a fantastic job on the floor! We decided that since we would have a lot of tiles left over from the kitchen floor we would tackle the bathroom floor too. I started pulling up the floor and started having an even more severe reaction. My lips started to swell and my throat started closing (I couldn't swallow my own spit!). So needless to say the bathroom floor didn't get finished last night. But Jake finished the kitchen floor (because he's wonderful). We all love it! It looks so much nicer than the old (40+ year old nicotine yellow floor). Now for the counters! :)

 Old floor

 Some spots were being held down with tape.

 He's a goof.

 Pulling up the floor.

 Me and my love working on the floor.

 Floors up!

 Now for the primer...

 She was bummed she couldn't come in the kitchen with us. (grump)

 Laying down the tiles!

 It's done!

Now we just need to bring the stove back into the kitchen so I can cook again! :)

Thank you Jake!! xoxoxo :)