And how do you spell relief? And other bits of random thoughts (EDITED)

I spell relief this way..........THE TENANTS ARE OUT! THE TENANTS ARE OUT! (whoa, I sound like Paul Revere).

Doug went to the house this morning, while I fretted and waited for his call or email. I thought I was going to have an aneurysm waiting to hear from him. Despite some trash and lousy paint jobs, the house is just fine. They left an empty oil tank that we have to fill, but since it's not the dead of winter, I'm not stressed about it too much. Onward and upward my mom said. I couldn't agree more. Keep your fingers crossed for us internets, that we find a buyer. (So, we just came back from the other house. I am NOT happy with the condition the tenants left it in. They left a bag of overflowing trash in the kitchen, the dishwasher is broken, they left a basement full of junk, they didn't vacuum, the bathroom sink was full of water and somehow clogged, and OH MY GOD THE PAINT. I know, to each his own and beauty in the eye of the beholder, but OH MY GOD THE PAINT! They took my nice buttery yellow kitchen and painted it dark brown. They took my nice beige living room and painted it a DARKER BROWN. The kids rooms....neon pink and neon blue. Holy mother of all that is good and tasteful. Oh, and outside.....they left a backyard full of dog poop, a gas grill, a lawnmower, more bags of trash. The liner to the pool is ripped and instead of just telling us that it happened, they tried to hide it with the cover. Liners go in harsh winters. It happens. But come on, are we babies here? Be honest. Don't try to cover things up. ARGH. Sigh. Big bad lesson learned here......)


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The twins are 15 months old today. I can't believe it's been 15 months since they were born. My photos are set to the slideshow function on my computer and every once in a while a photo from the day they were born comes up and I'm amazed at what little PEOPLE they've become. When I ask them questions, they nod their heads in agreement, or laugh if I guess what it is they want. They hug me and kiss me just for fun. The say many words now, and it's totally cute to listen to. Today I had some music on for them, and they were dancing holding hands. If I had tried to video it, they would have come for the camera so I have no proof of their utter cuteness. They fight over books and toys and me. They're not babies any longer. The thought makes me want to cry, but I'm also happy that we're done with the infant aspect of their life. Now the fun can really begin!

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Do any of you have a vegetable garden? If so, how did you get started? We're thinking of trying to create a garden this spring (see, while the calendar says spring, we still have some snow so spring comes for real in a few more weeks) and have no idea where to start. I'm sure I'll Google it and find good ideas, but if you know what does and doesn't work, let me know. I think Meg and Drew would have a great time planting and then eating what grows~assuming of course that we can actually grow something AND keep the deer away. Right now our crocuses are coming up and a few daffodils are trying to open. That's all we have so far. We sowed some lupine seeds in the fall and really hope they come up. I am addicted to lupines. Read Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney and you'll know why.

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I am all excited because I am going to spend some time with my girlfriend Angie on Saturday. We are both Creative Memories consultants and she is having her all day crop. We used to hold our all day events together, but our space got too small for all our customers, so we separated our events. So Saturday after Meg's last hockey, I am going to crop, eat and spend some time playing catchup with Angie. When I lived in my other house, I was only 5 minutes from Angie's house. We met thru CM and became fast friends. Turns out we graduated from high school a year apart. She remembers me, but I don't remember her. Her kids are a year younger than each of my two older kids. For about a year, we scrapbooked at her house every Friday night. It was great to be able to crop and gab with someone who understood me. Then we moved, and I was pregnant with the twins and exhausted all the time. And then the twins were born and I was nursing, and exhausted all the time. So our visits got less frequent. We email all the time, but it just isn't the same. And with Angie, I can just be myself. I can't wait.