Feb 22 Fun & Games

Liam, Brendan, and Trevor spent a few quality hours playing Mario Slugger on the Wii today. While they were having fun and unlocking valuable new teammates, Jim and I were busy at work. Jim painted the LAST door upstairs (hallelujah), and I packed more stuff. Countdown until listing: 8 days (Kellie posts on Mondays)!

Feb 21 Home Again

I love this picture. It reminds me of what an awesome family I have. I took it myself, holding the camera out as far as my arm could reach. Liam just made it in this frame, with his piercing blue eyes; Brendan piled on top of everyone face down; and Jim and I were snuggling together. Jim took the boys to see his sister in VT on Thu, and I went to CT on Fri, so I was eager to see my family again. What an awesome family I have!

Feb 20 Going to CM Regionals

This afternoon, I drove out to Hartford, CT for Creative Memories regional convention. The drive was easy, with little traffic and good weather. Tonight's session was jam-packed with new product introductions. We capped the evening off with drinks in the hotel bar to celebrate Joan's birthday. As Rhonda Anderson would say, "YIPPEE!"

Feb 19 Rearranging furniture

Today, Jim moved the newly emptied bookcase from our dining room into the fireplace room (is it called the living room, or is it called the family room? Apparently, I get that wrong all the time...) It didn't take Jerry long to check things out, as seen here! I can not WAIT until Monday, when my niece, Tina, comes over and helps me stage. I've planned on filling the bookcase with Longaberger baskets, but we'll see what Tina has in mind. Whatever she says will override me. She has a decorating way of making the house look like a high-end showroom, and I am SO EXCITED!

Feb 18 The refinishing touch

Tonight, Jim completed refinishing a nice butternut commode with walnut racetrack molding; probably Victorian era. A little gem he picked up in VT in June of 2007. We are re-purposing it as a TV stand for our bedroom. It came out very nicely & will look nice with the TV placed gingerly on its newly refinished top!

Use your imagination to view the photo. Despite my best efforts, no matter how many times I rotate the picture & save it before importing it here, it still shows up sideways. Gotta love modern technology!

Feb 17 You light up my life

This evening, Jim and I made our FINAL selections for our light fixtures. Who knew it would be such a daunting task? I've decided that it's a full time job to build a house. Go here, go there, write a check, pick out this, pick out that. Sign this, have that faxed. Write another check... I'm no interior designer, and I can only pray that my memories of cabinets and sinks we picked out months ago will coordinate with faucets we picked out last month, the carpet or vinyl we selected last week, and the lighting we picked out tonight. For EVERY room!

February 16 Sorting and Tossing and Cleaning, Oh My

Tonight, I went through the bookshelf in the dining room. I filled a garbage bag with useless stuff I've held on to for years. I made a box for "garage sale." I also found some of my "treasures," like each of the kid's baby books. For someone who runs a business in preserving memories, I did a HORRIBLE job of keeping up with the information in those books! I hope the boys will forgive me. The details are few and far between. While I don't know when each boy cut his first tooth, or when each of them took his first step, I DO know that my boys were happy, happy babies. They smiled and laughed ALL the time. They were (and still are) very precocious, picking up new skills with ease. Like many working new moms, I did the best I could to spend quality time with them in between my job(s), and my wish is that they only remember the good times we spent together as a family.

Feb 15 Donna's Birthday

We celebrated Donna's birthday today. Let's just say... there were a LOT of candles on her cake !!! We had a nice taco bar at Tina & Bob's house. We hung out there for a while, playing wii and probably overstaying our welcome. Fun times for all !

Feb 14 Valentine's Day

Today seemed like one of those days where we're busy all day, but nothing actually gets done...

Feb 13 Keeping the Home Fires burning

This evening, we had our first hot fire of the season in the fireplace. It sounds funny to say that, given that it's mid-February. Usually by this time, we've enjoyed many a nice roaring fire; but with our plates so full this year, we simply haven't made the time until now. Jim & the boys picked up the movie "Iron Man" from the Red Box on the way home and we all settled down to watch it after dinner. The fire felt warm and inviting; even Jerry the cat was basking in its glow. As I watched the real wood burn and smelled the smell of a "real" fire, I couldn't help but to think that when we are settled in to the new house, fires like theses will be a thing of the past. Next winter season, we will be able to light our new gas fireplace with a remote control. Like many other modern "conveniences," I have mixed feelings about that, and will truly miss the sights and the smells of the real thing.

Feb 12 Floored by choices

This evening, we made the drive to Schenectady to select our carpeting and vinyl floor coverings. Who knew there would be SO MANY colors and patterns from which to choose? Good thing I brought my ceramic tile and kitchen counter samples with me, to maximize the chances of making everything match. The sales associate, Jeff, was helpful (as was everyone the builders have sent us to work with). The whole process of selecting the contents of an entire house in a short amount of time has been daunting to say the least. We saw this stop as the last in a very long line, and were relieved that there was a light at the end of that tunnel. Pictured here from top to bottom are: the ceramic tile which will be around the fireplace; family room carpeting; entry and kitchen vinyl; living room carpet !

Feb 11 Getting Nervous

So, the house goes on the market in 17 days. I'm becoming increasingly nervous about this. Are we listing too soon? Too late? Will it be decluttered and staged in time? Is the market turning around so we get a flurry of qualified buyers coming through right away? Are we listing for a reasonable price? SO many questions!! Only time will tell...

Feb 10 Jerry helps out

While I was scrappin away in Lake George this past weekend, Jim was working hard around the house. He and the boys finished painting the upstairs trim, as well as the remaining bifold doors. The house is really starting to look show ready! When I got home on Sunday, Jerry greeted me with a purr and I noticed a small white dot on his ear & a matching white smear on the top of his head. Apparently, he had been working hard around the house as well!

Feb 9 Deranged Mutant Snowman

Straight from a Calvin and Hobbes book, Brendan and Liam made this "Deranged Mutant Snowman." Last winter's Easter Island snow sculpture was hard to beat, but I think they did an awesome job. I'm so glad the boys get along... well, most of the time anyway!

Feb 8 After the crop

The 2009 crop was a success. Our two rooms at the Fort William Henry were roomy and comfortable. We had BOTH a fireplace AND a jacuzzi (although this is the first year no one even put on a bathing suit), PLUS a nice dining room table. Collectively, we got more pages completed this year than in years past, and we all got along! After the crop, Tina and Teresa left first. The rest of us (Care, Nance, Di, Jenny and me) went to Sutton's for a yummy lunch. Here, Carol shows off her new braces! Tomorrow, it's back to the work grind :(

Feb 7 Jackson visits

We all had a Jackson fix while we were in Lake George today. Nick and Jackson drove up for a quick visit in the afternoon. Later on, Jim, Brendan & Liam visited as well. In the evening, Tim came up and took Nance out for dinner. We have all been working hard this weekend, but by the same token, we enjoyed our little diversions.

Feb 6 Candy Dish at the crop

The m & m's and Skittles arrived in Lake George around 1:00 for a weekend of scrappin. We thought our costume(s) were good enough to win a prize ~ until One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish arrived later in the evening. They definitely stole the show! The crop was off to a great start with the usual Scrappin' Sisters plus Tina. We also had the bonus members: Teresa & Jenny Fong this year. We had a great evening of reminiscing, laughter, and catching up. Oh, we got a few pages done, too!

Feb 5 Packing for Lake George

Tonight, I packed for our annual Lake George crop. I don't usually wait until the last possible second to pack, but I've had a lot on my plate this year! By 10:00pm, I had my pictures, my papers, my MB mug, AND the m & m sweatshirt, so I was good to go! WHOOO HOOO for Lake George :)

Feb 4 I have a scar ?

I went to JC Penney for a routine hair trim today. I seldom go to the same person twice due to the fact that I can't plan in advance far enough to make an actual appointment. So, my hairdresser du jour was blow drying my hair, and then she asks me how I got the scar on my head. WHAT? What scar? Apparently, I have a 1 1/2 to 2 inch scar on the right side of my head. I'm 41 years old, and have been getting my hair cut for decades. This is the first I've heard of any scar on my head. I make a mental note to ask my mother if I had any head trauma, or stitches that I don't know about...

Feb 3 the $10,000 man

We had another important meeting with our builders tonight. Jim and I decided where to put our lights, our exterior water faucets, and our cable & electrical outlets. It's hard to believe that although there are no walls, we've basically already determined where major furniture (like our beds, tvs, etc) will be. WEIRD !! Even though we made a commitment to have this house built many weeks ago, handing over a check for $10,000 really seems to seal the deal!

Feb 2 Creative Memories Webinar

I attended a very informative webinar for Creative Memories tonight. There was a lot of useful information given. It will take me a bit to digest it all, but it's all good ! In my spare time (LOL), I am going to start a Face Book Group about CM ~ which is NOW perfectly legal!! YEA :) I hope to get some valuable networking done that way, as well as let my friends know that there are feasible solutions for all their digital dilemmas, and I can help each one of them to preserve their memories. It just might take me a while to get things up and running!

Feb 1 More painting

We put in another 6 hour day of painting today. I wish I could say that wraps it up... We managed to complete Brendan's windows and trim, and painted and hung 4 out of 6 bifold closet doors. Although we're still on pace for listing in the first week of March, I am seriously disappointed that the painting is going to linger on for another week!

Jan 31 The family room gets a makeover

The lower half of our family room is now a Valspar shade of grey called "Gravity." Truthfully, I liked the color better on the paint chip than on my wall. It's definitely more blue-grey than I had hoped, but whatever! I'm NOT doing it over... The wives (Tina, Donna & me) plus my niece, Anna, worked hard to paint the family room, then we started the trim in Brendan's room while the guys (Bob, Kirk, & Jim) trimmed the new bifold doors to size and hung them in the bedrooms. My fantasy is that we can paint ALL the upstairs doors AND finish Brendan's trim tomorrow. Then, all I have to do is continue to de-clutter & pack and I will be Open House ready be deadline !

Jan 30 Another trip to Lowe's

This evening, we made what seems like our millionth trip to Lowe's in Clifton Park. Tonight, we spent about $300 on more paint, new bi fold doors for all the bedrooms, and misc other "essentials." I know the small improvements will help us in the long run to sell the house, but what I really want to buy at Lowe's is stuff for my NEW house. I just hope when that time comes, that I'll still have a few bucks left !

Jan 29 Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday, mom! Jim had a work function this evening, so the kids and I visited the site of our new house, then zoomed over to Tina's for a little Jackson fix with Diane & Teresa. Afterwards, it was a dinner celebration for mom at the Big Apple. The two giant tables of Hinckleys kept the wait staff busy. Mom had a good time, and we ended the evening with a Scrappin sister trio (Mare, Care, Nance) of Karaoke "Hotel California." Who could ask for anything more?

Jan 28 More snow

We got another dumping of snow today. Not only that, but there was the bonus of sleet/freezing rain on top of it. Gotta love upstate NY in winter. Due to the increasingly dangerous driving conditions, my office closed at 3:00. This allowed me to pick up the kids from the BACC and get a head start on shoveling the driveway. Let me just say that the snow was HEAVY!! Thank God for my neighbor, Mike, noticing my struggle & lending a hand with his snow blower! The kids had a good time making a fort.

Jan 27 I love Jerry

I love Jerry. I love the black tip of his nose, his black whiskers, his subtly striped tail, and his soft short pile of grey fur. From my first visit to the shelter, little kitten Jerry chose me instead of the other way around. He clung to me, and did not want me to put him down. He snuggled into the crook of my arm on that first day, and the rest is history.