Non-Sanctioned Haircuts, Grr.

Collin and Jack are apparently going through the "cutting phase". This is where a child cuts anything and everything - clothes, hair, paper, food - with scissors.

This doesn't go over well with me or their dad. Surprise, surprise.

So imagine my joy (ha.) when I walked into the kids' bathroom and found hair all over the floor. Too dark to be Sophia's, and the girls are way past cutting their own hair or allowing anyone outside of a salon to touch their precious locks.

The boys with hair

It was mostly Jack, who had gotten his hair cut just the week before. In a salon. Collin also took a snip out of his buzz cut. This did give me an opportunity to get out the clippers, but you can still see the scissor marks if you look closely enough.

Jack, looking mutinous.

Collin with his ice cream (a reward for a big homework project, not for the haircut!)

So now they are almost bald. Good thing they have well-shaped heads, is what I say!

What's Bloomin'

Today, it's tulips. Lots and lots of red tulips. They really make the daffodils sing, don't you think?

Especially since we have a few white daffodils now mixing in with the yellows.

I even got a pink tulip out in back.

I am very excited for next year - my neighbor has some very early blooming red tulips and she has promised me some. Then I'll have red tulips throughout spring. Yeehaw!

Anything fun coming up in your neighborhood?

Torture, a.k.a. Sales Pitches

Want to see Doug get really upset? Place him in front of a sales person pitching at full speed. His lips tighten into a line, his eyes start to wander (is there anyplace I can go to get away from this?), his shoulders square and his fists bunch. It makes me want to walk away, and I'm not sure how the sales people he encounters can keep going against the tide of his obvious displeasure.

However, I'm not quite like that. Working in marketing for a while has given me an appreciation of a good pitch. Moreover, I like to use pitches as an opportunity to learn.

So I set up a sales presentation on windows. Gasp! Our windows are builder-grade aluminum, and the mechanism for opening them is broken on several. Which led to a broken window when we first moved in. There's even one window that we take out the sash in order to open it. Not ideal. They are also very drafty, which is not surprising considering the issue I've already mentioned.

A broken window, very sad.

Using a tub to keep the window open. Just lovely.

What would be nice is to have someone come and just do the window replacement. Doug is so busy, and there are so many projects around here. We've started to call this house "the house that was never finished". And we wonder if it ever will be.

But contracting something out is really just a pipe dream of mine. As was evidenced by Doug's refusal to even meet with the sales rep who came out and spent two hours explaining their product and measuring our windows. Personally, I had to stop myself from laughing when he got to the math. "Here's our starting price", which was around $17,000. Then he proceeded to give me a discount for this, that and everything else he could think of, multiplying the percentage out and subtracting it. Slowly, and in great detail.

Really, I just wanted to roll my eyes. Eventually the price was around $13,000. And he wanted an immediate answer, which is always a no-go around here. If we're going to spend some serious cash, we are going to spend some serious time looking into other options to make sure we've got the best one going. Oh, and did I tell you where Doug was throughout this entire presentation? In his shop, hiding. Oh yes.

The Doug-Out.

We decided against contracting it out (I did say it was a pipe dream, yes?) because we can do it piecemeal and still do other projects around the house. If we just did the windows, that's all we'd be able to afford for a bit. Probably sounds familiar - who really has the cash to do more than one of these kinds of projects at a time?

So I texted the rep and told him no. Amazingly enough, he lowered the priced to $9800. Doug and I laughed. Just give us the real price the first time around. Honestly.

We still say no. But I learned a lot about windows. Glazing, spacers in the framing, the gas that fills the space between the panes. Double-hung (both sashes move) and single-hung (only one sash moves) I already had down. It's really interesting to have someone break the whole thing down for you, though.

That is, if you can see through the pitch and hold on to your wallet!

What's Bloomin'

It's Wednesday. Already! How did that happen?

Actually, I know how that happened...I have been dealing with sick kids for almost two weeks. Now that we're all well (knock on wood), I am returning to my normal routine. All I've had time for lately is a little weeding. Boo, very boring.

But now back to our regular programming - flowers! And allergies, sadly. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

Here are the purple tulips that are gracing my yard this week:

And the fruit trees are all in bloom. My favorite is the plum tree. Since it is full-grown, it looks especially spectacular.

We had a major wind that knocked almost all the blooms off the littler trees (sigh), but there are still a few on the cherry trees...

And the peach trees.

I am really hoping for lots of peaches this year. Last year, we got a whopping five peaches. And they were delicious, let me tell you - the best peaches I think I've ever tasted. Seriously hoping for lots and lots this year. I'm also keeping an eye on my other trees. This is their third year, which means we might see apricots and apples, and possibly a nectarine or two.

Anything blooming near you? I'd love to hear about it! And I promise I'll start working on some projects now that the kiddies aren't making lots of laundry by being sick. Promise.

North vs. South & What's Bloomin'

I suppose all directions have their benefit. North is calmer and shadier than the south; east is sunny in the mornings and shady in the evenings; west is just the opposite, but has a bit more sun; and south is very sunny, and (here at least) very windy. Wild, is what comes to mind.

Our house faces east. We've had a few houses that have faced east, and one that faced west, and one that faced south. Never had a problem with any of those directions, to be honest. Mostly because the landscaping was either not done at all, or done for a shady spot due to all the trees in the front yard.

Here, there are few trees (okay, a lot of trees, but most of them are very young and small). So my east-facing front yard has a lot of sun in the morning. The main approach to the house is from the north.

And the problem is: all my flowers in the front yard turn their heads to the south. This is what you see from the house or when you turn onto our road:

The backs of little daffodil heads. Kind of like my kids - they're always looking away from me to what they'd rather be listening to/seeing/doing. Maybe I should erect a huge florescent light to counter the sun?

Just kidding. I will, however, need to rethink my landscaping.

At any rate, here's what's blooming this week...even though this morning we had snow (it had already melted by the time I took this picture):

Lovely grape hyacinths. Here's hoping for more in the next week...maybe even a few looking the right direction?

Guest Room, Pronto!

When we returned from Zion's, my dad called with sad news: my aunt had passed away. He was hoping he could stay with us, and of course we were happy to have him.

Remember the queen mattress I bought for Julia in December? It has been hanging out in the girls' second room (now affectionately called the library - see why?).

True to form, I haven't done anything with that mattress. So I started moving things around. Collin's room was going to be remade into the guest room. Why? It's upstairs, which is saying a lot once you have older parents. Collin's bed went into Jack's room. It's a little crowded in there now. But Jack loves having a "second bed."

I tried to use online classifieds to find a used box spring and frame, but they were going for about $100 together online. At Mattress Dealzz, a local chain, they had both for $120. And they're new, with a 5-year-warrantee.

Doug kindly installed a catch plate on the door frame, so that the door would close and lock (important with five little busybodies running around). With the bed and an extra chair for putting on shoes, we had a guest room (with about one hour to spare before I went to collect guests from the airport!).

The funeral was very, very long...but the music was amazing. That side of the family is so talented - there was a quartet, a violin solo, a vocal solo, and a group number at the funeral. At the graveside, we were blessed with a trumpet solo and bagpipes at the graveside. Good bagpipes, I must say.

While my dad and his wife were here, she solved my mirror/arrangement issue by putting one of my pink lanterns in place of the large flower arrangement:

Looks much better now, I think. She also helped my girls clean their room (a major undertaking!). So, while we were sad to see my aunt leave us, we are grateful that she is with her husband and youngest boy again. And we got to see so many people in the family that we never see. We've really got to stop waiting until someone dies to see family!

Okay, so now it's over. Collin was thrilled to see the big bed in his room, and pleaded to be allowed to keep it. For now, he can. Jack, as I said before, is excited about the two beds in his room.  He tries to sleep on a different bed each night. Gotta spread the love, right?

What's Bloomin'

It's raining! I am one of those strange people that absolutely love, love, love rain. Especially when my flowers come up, reminding me that water is important for those blooms to keep coming!

This week, my forsythia started blooming. This is one of my favorite bushes - even though it is pretty unremarkable the rest of the year - because it heralds spring in such an exuberant way.

As do daffodils. Here they come!

I planted a whole bunch of these last fall, and cannot wait to see them. For now, I just have a few, but at least they have started popping up!

Hope you get the rain your flowers need...have a great week!

Spring Break! Zion National Park

Yes! We are outta here!

Spring break means vacation, right? Well, most of the time - for us, anyway - it doesn't. But this year, we headed south. The snow has gotten to us in a dreadful way, and we were aching for warm weather.

The best part is that it wasn't that warm...just up to 70 degrees or so. Perfect hiking weather. We also got to stay with my brother and his family. The kids were dying to spend time with their cousins...and plainly told us that we still didn't give them enough time to do so.

At any rate, we hit the trails in Zions on Thursday. We took a short walk and started on lunch. This is when Collin decided he had had enough of his family. He didn't like sandwiches (we were torturing them with a choice of turkey, salami or ham), and so he took off.

The Grotto Trail

Zions has a shuttle bus system (best idea ever), and we were sitting within sight of one of the stops. Collin decided he was going to get on one of those buses. Alone.

Needless to say, Doug took off after him. Seeing Doug, Collin bolted - right up a trail. This particular trail led to the Emerald Pools, of which there is a lower, middle and upper. Collin went to the middle. The girls soon deserted me as well, wandering off to look at the river...and then following Collin and Doug up the mountain. So there I sat, with all their gear (what's up with that?!?) with Sophie and Jack. No way was I going to attempt climbing the mountain with two little ones and several backpacks. So we waiting.

Eventually, Doug came and got us. We all joined the others at the middle pool.

Luckily, the girls and Collin were still there. I was a little worried on the way up. Then we all went to the upper pool, where Sophie wandered right next to the sheer edge...it's only a few hundred feet up, right? After I screamed (my baby was on the edge!), we got her and I restarted my heart.

On the way down, we apparently took the wrong path. It was completely washed out, and we had to slide for a bit to make it back to a trail. The warning signs were at the bottom of the trail. Of course!

Collin ran ahead as we got to the Lodge - the main gathering area in the park. There's a large green lawn, a restaurant, and even some lodging. We couldn't find Collin once we got there, so we all stretched out on the lawn and waited for him to appear.

And waited.

An hour later (!) he came back with a park ranger - he had been on a tour of the park riding the buses. He wondered if we would have gone ahead without him, so he decided to catch up with us. The wisdom of an eight-year-old, right? They were bringing him back to the Lodge and Malena spotted him.

The kids kept asking why Doug and I weren't stressed. One word: prayer. We knew he wouldn't stay in one spot, so it would be better if we did!

To calm us all after the missing kid incident, we went for a drive.

Day One at the park: all about Collin. We did have some good hikes, see some excellent vistas, so it wasn't a waste.

Day Two we had cousins. Yay for cousins! We tackled the Narrows, and basically played in the water most of the day.

Collin was Doug's shadow for the entire day, so he had to go up the mountain with him. He doesn't look too unhappy, though.

Day Three we headed home...but not before stopping at Kolob Canyons for one last hike. The little one finally gave up on us...

So we took one final picture of the two people who had the most fun...

And went home.

Number Two is Eleven!

It's true: Malena has turned eleven.

There have been a few times I have wondered if she would make it this far. For instance, she cut her head open on the fireplace when she was two, and had thirteen stitches. When she was three, she was standing in range while Bonnie swung our wooden tree swing in a vicious circle. The swing connected with her head (of course), leaving a large bruise that became a permanent large dimple on the right side of her face. When she was four, Bonnie pushed her off the top bunk of their bunk beds, and Malena landed on the square finial of a curtain rod I had hidden (obviously not well enough) in another room.

She had a few years of peace, but she was at it again at age nine. She decided to play with a dog who was tied up in his front yard. The dog didn't like that, and bit her, getting her entire face in his jaws - again, she had stitches on her forehead, and almost had stitches on her neck.

We haven't had any major incidents since. Knock on wood. She has opened up the world of medical emergency for me, for which I will always be...well...hm. I'll get back to you on that.

At any rate, we love you Malena! So glad you've been with us eleven years...and I hope you'll continue to be around for many, many more!

What's Bloomin'

Happily, there are two new bloomers this week:

Why is it I can never find (or remember) the name of these pinstripe beauties?
If I find it, I'll update the post!

Early Snow Glories

For some reason, star flowers hold a special place in my heart. They remind me of the jasmine that grows in my mother-in-law's backyard, and the confederate jasmine that climbed up my porch in South Carolina. Also the stars at night, of course.

Here's to spring! Hope you are enjoying the new season as much as I am!