Dog Days

It's been a bit since I posted, so I thought I would post a few random thoughts.

Even with a to-do list and a deadline, we just haven't been getting anything done. I have to say it's been hectic for us lately though. There was Mother's Day, a small car accident (you should see the other guy's car though), the Joe Martin Stage Race (neither of us were in it), work, and various other things that tend to cloud our brains and prevent us from doing things around the house such as garage sales, biking, and watching TV. Ok, well we really don't have any good excuses, I was really fishing to think of those. We did get the baby's room cleaned out and all of the junk packed up, but if it hadn't been for company coming to stay with us, that room would probably still be full. We still haven't started removing the wallpaper. Too bad no one else is coming in town, because that is great motivation!

It's been really hot here lately, whereas a couple of weeks ago we were turning on the space heater and wrapping up in a blanket. Crazy Arkansas weather! I doubt we'll be using blankets again any time soon now though. We think we've got it figured out as to how to stay cool for now. Fans are placed strategically through the house in windows, and if you don't stay home during the day, you have a good chance at not getting too hot. The evenings are actually pretty pleasant. We are definitely going to install some ceiling fans, and screen doors. Central heat and air and new attic insulation are definitely in the immediate future, because when you have a newborn, you cannot hang out at Barnes & Noble until you think the house has cooled down. At least, I don't think so anyways.
That's Maze, our greyhound doing what she does best. They are the sweetest dogs, but so quirky. She sometimes will not drink, which makes her breath TERRIBLE. She also doesn't like going on walks that are more than two blocks down. She just drags back home, and I mean end of the leash dragging behind me. She apparently takes her retirement seriously!

Our to-do list for this week/weekend is:

1. Mow & weedeat the yard - yes Chris, that means you!!!
   
2. Drop Molly the cat off to be shaved (this you've got to see, will post pic)
   
3. Strip the wallpaper from the baby's room
4. Finish installing the shelves in the kitchen (will post pics when complete)
   
5. Repair the grout in the bathroom (will post pics on this as well)
   
6. Paint the bathroom door white and finish cutting in

Yeah, well, we'll see how much of that gets done! Maybe since I've posted the list we will have more motivation?

Oh, and an update on the stolen tulips (I told you this had random thoughts)...
Chris's cousin, Tommy, said that florists will often raid people's yards and STEAL flowers when they are in a pinch. This sounded so unbelieveable, but he said his dad's girlfriend who owns a flower shop told him that happened SO often. Of course, she wouldn't do that, but others do. There are several florists very close by our house, Fayetteville is FULL of florists. I did think it was strange that only certain colors were taken and that the thief also cut some of the leaves. The flowers were snipped with scissors, not just picked. He also said that tulips cost the florist around $2 per head. I thought I was over my anger with those silly tulips, but apparently not because I found myself asking Chris to get me a BB gun for my birthday! The good thing is that come Hydrangea season (also one of my favorites), I will be home with a newborn. Don't think I won't be waiting for the hydrangea theives! They need to ask themselves seriously if they want to tangle with a grumpy, sleep-deprived mother of a newborn before they place one florist foot in our yard! I would LOVE to catch them on film and give the pictures to a gossip column. So florists beware, you've been warned! Put your stealing snippers back in your pocket and get your toes offa my lawn...

To Do Lists and Deadlines

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...starting to get a little nervous. Or should I say, oh girl, oh girl, oh girl? We did find out a couple of months ago that it's a girl, can't remember if I posted that or not. I've been terribly behind on posting things. I need to do a "catch up" post and put all the things I've forgotten to post. We tell people about what's new every day, but forget to put it on the blog.

We have this TO DO list that's a mile long, as does everyone else working on a house - we're in good company. The good thing is it's all little things that we really can LIVE without doing, but that bad thing is I have a hard time seeing that! Our baby is due July 22, and since she's our first one, we have nothing to compare that too. Will she come on time, early, maybe a little late? I have always been a last minute kind of girl, I work REALLY well under pressure. I do some of my best work under pressure actually. My parents used to kid me that if it wasn't for the last minute I wouldn't get anything done. Ok, well maybe they weren't actually kidding. Long story short, we've got a lot to get done and quickly, just in case. The first priority now is the baby's room. We have to find a place for all of the junk that we still haven't unpacked, strip the wallpaper and repair any plaster problems, and then paint the walls. Simple enough, but get a good look at all the junk! Half-way unpacked boxes, full boxes, boxes that I have just given up on, are stacked and piled all over the place.

Needless to say, I plan on having one heck of a garage sale - hopefully this Saturday (I've said that about every weekend for the last two months). I'm just not even going to worry about what's next on the list, we'll just concentrate on getting the baby room ready. We've bought the bed, just need a mattress, and we still need to buy a changing table/chest of drawers and a rocking chair. We're going to install shelves on the wall behind the door, and maybe some shelves in the small closet. Then it will be curtains and decorative fluff - the fun part! I do have some questions though, would love some advice.

1. What's the best way to strip wallpaper that really is paper from a plaster wall? Wallpaper is only one layer thick.
2. If some of the plaster is damaged or crumbly, what's an easy plaster repair mix to work with? Neither of us have any experience repairing plaster.
   
3. There is a gap at the ceiling where the drywall ceiling does not meet exactly with the plaster walls. We don't really have the time or money to spend on crown molding that can be stained, so would it be bad to use a cove molding and paint it white to match ceiling?

Baby's Room To Do List:

1. Clean out boxes/put awa y/garage sale
2. Strip Wallpaper
3. Repair plaster (if needed, we hope not!)
4. Cove molding or something for top of wall
5. Paint walls
6. Install shelves behind door
7. Covered boxes, baskets, etc for organizing shelves
8. Mattress for baby bed
9. Table & Lamp, Rocking Chair, Changing Dresser
10. Make bedding (part of fabric alread y bought)
11. Make & hang curtains
12. Decorate room, arrange furniture, etc.