You ready for this one?

I was having trouble with my debit card. It would only swipe about half the time, so I went into the bank and they ordered me a new card.

The card arrived last week, I cut up the old one, and put the new one in my wallet.

I went to use it at the co-op today for the first time. It won't swipe. The cashier tries repeatedly. Nothing doing. I said, "It's a brand new card. This is ridiculous." She looks closer at the machine.

It's expired. My brand new card says it is "good thru" 12/07.

I've got all the luck.

Oh, we've got trouble

Right here in Brattleboro
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "C"
That stands for "cable"

Somehow, in the move from room to room, the TV decided to not have the channels programmed in anymore. No problem, right? Just a couple of buttons to push and it programs itself. Well, all of a sudden I start to notice little icons at the bottom for things that we are not paying for. Like real cable channels and not just broadcast ones.

This could be a real problem. Already last night I wasted 2.5 hours watching dumb stuff for no good reason. There is a reason why we don't pay for these channels. But all I can think now is: when is the next marathon of Proj. Runway so I can catch up?!

Less than 24 hours...

And it already looks a little too lived in. Last night, Jeremy and I built the new bookcases and wrestled the couch into the living room. This morning we filled up the shelves. And then the kids trashed the place.And in other exciting news... I finally went to WEBS, which is the awesomest yarn store in the world. So many pretty, pretty yarns. It's a little dangerous. I think it's for the best that I never bothered to make the 50 minute drive before yesterday because we may not have been able to afford to buy a house.
Here's what I bought. 7 of the one on top and 2 of the bottom. I'm thinking maybe a hat and scarf. I can't wait to start. Then I need to finish my blanket. That will require a trip to the other yarn store first.

Was it just me?

Or did anyone else notice that despite having a podium aiming toward Obama, McCain was facing the opposite direction the entire time? He couldn't look the man in the eye.

Jerk.

It's a little sad

Well, it's more than a little sad that the summer and the harvest season is coming to a close. There are only 5 more weeks of our CSA. The only good thing about that is that I don't have to get all wistful and weepy when I drive by the house Cortney and Dustin were living in for the summer. (Now they're out in CA living the high life.) And I guess it will be good to not have the compulsion to can and freeze everything all the time.

But it is not at all good to know that corn season is almost done. Because Walker Farm corn... there's nothing like it. It is so sweet and wonderful. I stopped by to get a baker's dozen to freeze for the winter... and only half made it to the freezer. But while we were there, we found out that they now have chickens!

Dorian's reaction when Karen tried to take him into their enclosure? "No! I don't want to be pecked to death!"

What the hell? So now he's afraid of heights and chickens?

I can almost smell it

It looks like we are, in fact, on track to move in to the living room this weekend. Above is "graceful green" or as close an approximation as my camera could capture. A little different than the other rooms, but it matches the furniture/accessories we already own. Now I just need to think of a color for the dining room that will transition nicely between the living room and kitchen. Luckily, I will not need to worry about this for a little while because I refuse to paint anything else until next spring. As unpleasant as I think the hallway and dining room are, I cannot bring myself to deal with them right now.

I am burnt out. There is a puff of smoke left where I used to be. I am looking forward to not having to paint anything else after tonight. (Or cleaning out paint brushes and rollers when we finish. Ugh.) Tonight, we paint the trim and the floor. Tonight, uncharacteristically, I will pray that the floor does not need a second coat. And tonight, I will remember that I have plans to go out tomorrow night and it won't be my problem if it does.

Happy autumn!

Today is the first day of one of my 4* favorite seasons, and to celebrate there have been big plans made and accomplished. So far I have:

1. made an apple pie from a small number of the organic apples we picked yesterday. Why did I think we needed a 1/2 bushel?
2. gone to a meeting that wasn't happening where it was supposed to, for something I don't really want to be doing anyway. Think puppet shows.
3. had to let go of the idea of going to exercise class in favor of going to the first PTA meeting of the year. Such a selfless mother I am. I haven't made it to exercise class all month which totally stinks. Maybe Wednesday.
4. accepted that if I want to move in to the living room this weekend and eliminate the boxes cluttering the dining room, I will have to come home from what will surely be a pointless PTA meeting and prime the living room walls. "Graceful green" is the color that I'm counting on to soothe this savage beast. (Okay, so I'm only half Savage, but that's not my fault.)

* We have 6 if you count "Mud Season" and "Stick Season".

*Sigh*

Curtain!

I seized my chance to sew our bedroom curtain this morning and there it is. I still need to make a proper tie-back. Soon.

The bedroom seemed more of a priority than the kitchen since I don't usually change my clothes in the kitchen. Also, I knew where my brown and red threads were, but not the white I need for the kitchen curtains.

You can see that the window is still broken, but that will all change soon. They measured for the replacement windows for our room and the boys' room yesterday, and they will be installed within the next 6 weeks. I can't wait! Triple pane, unbroken windows that will help keep us warm on our unheated second floor. I can't believe how cold it is at night already. But I refuse to turn on the heat in September.

Garden report

Yesterday evening, I took my pruning shears and decided to tackle the mess next to our driveway. I could see a rhododendron peeking out from underneath a tangle of vines, so I set to work. I pruned. And I cut. And I untangled. And I wrestled. And I yanked. And I pruned some more. And I had the above pile of vines to show for it. It, as you can see, is as large as a bush itself.

Underneath were these:

On the left is a large rhododendron. It appears to have a lot of buds, so it should bloom in the spring now that it isn't being choked to death. And on the right is a rose bush. I'm hoping that if I cut it back in the spring that it will bloom again. Our neighbor told me she thought it used to have beautiful pink flowers.
I also decided to harvest the quince on the overgrown quince bush out front. Obviously, I was a little optimistic. Again, I'm hoping that with some pruning it will flourish next year.

Dorian and I have also gone a little bulb crazy. We bought two more packages yesterday. Dorian picked "Rosy Sunshine" daffodils and I got Mediterranean bells. Spring should be exciting!

They lassoed me good

Tuesday night at the BBQ/parent information night at Sebastian's school, I knew I was headed for trouble. I knew I'd be roped into something. And you all knew it, too. Want to hear what it was? Sure you do.

There was a survey that came home about interests and what I would consider volunteering for, that they obviously mistook for a contract signing all my "free time" away. Already I have been asked to do snack prep once a week at 8am or some hideous time. Generally, 8am is reserved for the continued wearing of pajamas, or throwing on a pair of jeans with the pajama top to take Sebastian to the bus if it is my turn. I am not psyched to have to get Dorian out the door at that ungodly hour so I can hope he behaves himself while I make carrot sticks. So far, my total time is 4 hours per month. This is before we attend the BBQ.

Then, I get this email from the nature program coordinator which I am confused by since I swear the nature program was the one thing I didn't show interest in. She wants to meet me at the BBQ. Okay... I go over and introduce myself, at which point I am handed a textbook and several photocopied papers detailing the monthly hour long class I will now be teaching. This class includes my performing a puppet show. A puppet show!

This is where I start asking, "Didn't anyone else sign up for this? I have an almost 3 year old. I don't know how this is going to work..." Of course, I can bring him to the monthly meeting at her house! He's so welcome! And I can choose the time for the class with the teacher so that I can find babysitting!

They lassoed me good this time. My only (terribly faint) hope was that Sebastian wouldn't want me to do it. So, I tell him. His reaction? "Oh, that's so nice! You know what would be nicer? If you came to teach once a week!"

Give them time, dear. Give them time...

I'm now up to a grand total of 6.5 hours of volunteer time per month, not including travel time, preparation time (reading the damn textbook), and those cookies I agreed to bake for the bake sale. Someone save me from myself. I am a hazard. (But not this kind.)

Eco shmeeko

I just finished slopping some "environmentally friendly" paint stripper on part of the living room floor. It is the rankest smelling stuff I can think of. Poopy diapers smell like a summer breeze in comparison. It better work.

It probably won't and it will be a further reminder to me why everyone I know paid someone else to do their floors. Everyone tried it themselves and then gave up. Why do I think I am special?

In the Principal's office

I had my meeting with Sebastian's teacher and principal today, and it went really well. They really seem to be making an effort to make his school experience both challenging and appropriate for him at his age. Because he is still 5. Just because he spells like an 8th grader and is doing the 2nd graders' work doesn't mean he isn't still a little boy who is technically supposed to be Kindergarten. It was very nice to feel like we were all on the same page about his education. I was so afraid that they would say they didn't know what to do with him.

But they have a plan, and it is a plan that I feel completely comfortable with because it seems well thought out. I want Sebastian to like school. I want it to be a positive experience. And it seems like his teacher and principal are working very hard to make it one.

The bedroom is livable! or, I looked like a chimbley sweep

Jeremy and I set up our bed in our new bedroom this morning! I cannot begin to express to you all how happy I am to be out of the spare room. We had a mattress on the dusty floor, the wallpaper peeling all around us. It was a nightmare. But it is all over now. Now we can inhale the residual paint fumes as we sleep in a proper bed in a real room. I just need a new chimney thimble to replace that old one so we can look like the sort of people who like to have dinner plates hanging on the walls.
The newly improved closet-- putting clothing in here no longer seems unreasonable as it once did. I really wanted to sew the curtain for our window today, but it just isn't going to happen. I can see the sewing machine box underneath several other boxes and, frankly, I'm feeling too lazy to try to dig it out and then try to find my box of thread. So, it ain't happenin'. I need to be up early tomorrow for my conference at school anyway. Better the sun wakes me up than the sons.
And, at long last, here is the evidence of how disgusting pulling down a horsehair plaster ceiling can be. Jeremy took this with his phone shortly before I had a mini-breakdown from inhaling too much dust. I had to wash my hair 3 times before it was clean. But it had to be done so that Steven and Nathan could replace the plaster with sheetrock. And if that hadn't happened, I'd be sleeping in the flophouse again tonight. And I'm not. So looking like that was totally worth it.

Things to look forward to

I am looking forward to our second full weekend in the new house. The bedroom is finished, it just needs to sit for a few days before we can move the furniture onto the painted floor. So here are a few things I can look forward to over the next few days.

• Making curtains for the bedroom and the kitchen. I have had the kitchen fabric since I went to IKEA and I got the bedroom fabric this morning, so I just need to sew a few rectangles and we'll be in business.
• Getting my hair cut tomorrow. It has been far too long and I am looking rough, so it is time to clean myself up so I can be hott mama and not shott mama.
• Meeting with Sebastian's teacher and the Principal. I sent an email asking simply whether Sebastian was adjusting okay, and get a reply stating they were going to call me for a meeting next week. I am trying to stay positive about this and hope they have some sort of plan for addressing his needs. His last school basically threw up their hands in surrender, so I hope that this school is a little more helpful.
• Getting the broken windows fixed. It is mighty cold here at night now, and having the 35 degree air blowing in through the hole in the kitchen window is a little unpleasant. Perhaps smashing it was unwise of me.
• Finally going to the back to school BBQ that was postponed last week. I've been waiting to be snagged for volunteer opportunities for days now.

Also, Sebastian's school is participating in a "Localvore Challenge" next week and he set a goal of eating at least 5 local foods per day. "Local" for the purposes of the challenge means produced within a 100 mile radius of our house or from anywhere in Vermont. Lucky for us, we belong to the CSA and I have put up lots of local, organic fruit. So, if I make blueberry muffins for our breakfast we will have eaten local flour, milk, eggs and berries. Add some Stonyfield yogurt and we've already done 5 in one meal. I know that I try to buy locally as often as I can, but I was surprised when I thought about how much we do eat. When Sebastian picked 5 items, I groaned, thinking it would be harder than it really is. I'm looking forward to enjoying the abundance of our area for the week, and beyond.

The garden

I've been working hard on the garden when I have a spare minute. I still have a long way to go, but I have accomplished a lot. This bed was a heap of weeds with a big clump of sedums and some echinacea hidden inside. It is now mostly cleared out and neatened up and I added the lavender asters at the foreground and some allysum for some fall color. Yesterday evening Sebastian helped add some anemone and tulip bulbs to the bed for some spring color next year.
Here's a close-up of the sedums growing at the edge of the foundation. Aren't they cute?
Dorian and I weeded this bed yesterday morning. It was a 2 hour hoeing project (that's what she said) which left me with a giant blister you are lucky I didn't photograph. I salvaged some of the debris from our basement for the border. The border for the bed at the top came solely from old roof slates and rocks found in the garden itself. Dorian and I planted tulips and anemones near that sad little lily clump up against the house. We also planted 2 allium bulbs which Dorian insisted on buying. When they bloom next year, they will be as tall as he is now.
These are a little more fall color next to the front steps. Christine gave me the little rose bush, and I used a gift certificate from Amanda for these other 3 perennials and the aster shown above.
Next comes this disaster... But I need the blister to heal first.

No need to worry

Just because Sebastian was getting hit on the bus yesterday for the second time in less than 2 weeks is no cause for concern. You know why? That kid is tough as nails. Not what I was expecting from my cries-over-literal-spilled-milk boy, but true nonetheless.

So yesterday, these bigger boys (probably 4th graders) were picking on Sebastian. They called him stupid (umm... wrong) and told him that even his mother doesn't like him. His response? "You don't know my mother." He told those boys what was what. So... they hit him on the head repeatedly. Did he cry? No. His friend piped up that he had better stop talking to them or he'd "have to go to the hospital with a bloody face."

A girl across the aisle said, "I'm going to tell on you" to Sebastian. He said to her, "Well, I have had enough of them, so if you're going to tell on someone, tell on them." She said she wouldn't because the bully was her brother.

What nerve on my boy! At his age, I imagine I would have been cowering, but not Sebastian. I do recall yelling through a flood of blood from my nose after being punched in my one and only fist fight "I will persevere!" (It was one of our vocabulary words at the time.) So maybe his mouthiness does come from me. Okay, it probably does.

When he told Jeremy what happened he said, "I really sat my ground."

Jeremy: You mean "stood" your ground.

Sebastian: No, you're not allowed to stand on the bus.

The awesomest!

There is a blog that I read sometimes that I mostly enjoy, but sometimes is way too touchy-feely for me. The writer is always gushing about long walks on the beach, or baby toes, or pretty sunsets or some shit and then asking, "What are you loving now?" Well, you asked for it, sister!*

*Note: I can guarantee she will probably never see this, but I don't care.
I love this scraper/tool/doohickey! Love it! Love it so much I bought a second one for Jeremy (not pictured) who I also love. It scrapes off wallpaper... It cleans paint off rollers... It pulls out nails... It opens beer bottles for people who drink beer (not me)... It is all around awesome. And I suspect it would be mighty handy in my next (first) bar brawl.
The Dyson. Aaaahhhh... Have you ever seen anything more hideously magical in your life? This thing can suck some junk off your floor, believe me. I know they're expensive, but if you are a smart shopper like myself, you will wait until your favorite farmers pack up for the west coast and then harass them endlessly until they sell theirs to you for half price instead of leaving it in storage. And then you can sing about what suckers they are while you wield the most powerful sucker of all.
I am loving that soon, very soon, our room will be done and we can get out of the scary room. Christine (not pictured) who I also love came to paint the trim with me this morning. She is awesome, and so is covering up the "Tenement gray" trim with "Ultra bright white" paint. Ignore the tape around the trim and just picture our room with the "Sundrenched" walls, white trim, "Chocolate Pudding" floor, and my dirty clothes all over the place. It will be wonderful...

Finally, I am loving that as I type this, Mr. DeeDee has passed out amidst the marker carnage giving me a brief moment of peace before we go to the CSA and the grocery store where he will be hollering for a cookie while I try to come up with a side dish to take to the back-to-school BBQ tonight. How many volunteer opportunities can I get myself roped into in one night? Watch and cringe.

The kitchen is finally coming together

I know, I know, there is a ridiculous amount of junk on the counter. But, there used to be a ridiculous amount under the counter in boxes, so we made a huge amount of progress this weekend. Next to the counter is the portable dishwasher. Now-- imagine that the picture on the left is rotated so the wall is parallel to the wall in the picture on the right and there is a window next to the sink cabinet and that is the kitchen. The stove and dishwasher will swap places at some point. There is the built in shelving around the corner from the stove where my less often used dishes are. The cookbooks will go on the empty shelf when they turn up.
And this is my pantry, overloaded with dishes and food. I need to get a couple of baskets to put things like rolling pins and tupperware in and then it, too, will be complete.

Now, if I could just get the horrifyingly dirty linoleum floor replaced, it would be great! I have already mopped the floor 3 times and it doesn't come clean. The water turns black, but the floor looks just as bad as it did before. I suspect it hasn't been cleaned in 10 years, and I'm not exaggerating. The 5 second rule is a 5 nanosecond rule at this house.

My bigger boy

Oh, that Sebastian! He's been growing up so much, and just amazes me every day. Friday he set off to school wearing his skirt. I was more than a little nervous and convinced it would be the day he came home with a black eye. I decided to warn him that some people may not appreciate his fashion sense. I told him that some people think skirts are only for girls and women, and they might want to tell him that. He replied, "Well, I will just tell them that my mom is fine with it and that's what I want to wear." I have no idea where I went right with that boy's self-esteem, or if it's that high in spite of me, but he is brimming with the stuff.

So, he did get picked on, but it seems unrelated to the skirt. One of his classmates was pinching and hitting him on the bus. I asked if he told the bus driver but he said, "No. I thought [my teacher] was better to handle it." Okay.

And in unrelated news, I cut his hair last night. Sebastian didn't want to give up the curls, but he also did not want them to be brushed or washed, so it was time for them to go.
He looks so different, all I could do at dinner was stare.
Then again, maybe it was the outfit.

The closet

I was (am) excited about how large our closet is. Not so exciting is the condition of the walls in there. For one thing, there is a terrible wallpaper situation. Some places there are one or two layers, some places there are 6 which come off in chunks like box board. And in some places, I pull down the wallpaper to reveal crumbling plaster. It is fantastic! So, I started the demolition work last night before ANTM.
I tore down all of this yesterday, neatened it up and was ready to sheetrock today while Dorian watched a video. Ha! When I decided to tackle some more of the wallpaper first, I discovered this:
Yes, the back wall was in the same wonderful condition. So I pulled all that down, too. It's all terribly "People Under the Stairs" except that this closet is actually located over top of the stairs. I thought I saw someone behind the lathe, but it turned out to just be a swinging piece of plaster falling behind the wall. Lovely.

The house

Dorian's new bed. He's a big boy now! He also gets the rug and the new bookcase on his side of the room. Not the greatest pictures here, but use your imagination.
Sebastian's corner of the room. To the right is the closet door and the hamper and Sebastian's dresser. At the foot of his bed there is one more window and the book case which I did not photograph.
This is the wall of my and Jeremy's closet which I discovered is too water damaged to do anything with. So after vowing to not pull down anything else following the ceiling nightmare, I am stuck pulling down part of the wall. Not the whole thing, but enough to be totally messy and dusty, I'm sure. I'm not looking forward to this project for this evening, but it must be done so that I can start painting our bedroom so we can stop living in the flophouse/spare bedroom/Dustin's room.
These are the beautiful flowers my mother sent as a housewarming. They looked lovely amongst the clutter on my new counter top. This is the only view of the kitchen I am willing to show. It was wonderful in there until I moved all my stuff in. Now there are boxes and boxes of random homeless things. Anyway, Nathan is going to come over and move our outlet so the stove can go next to the counter top that those flowers are on. When the stove moves, then our new portable dishwasher can move to where the stove was. All hail the magic box! Now Jeremy needs a new chore...

I have also gotten a good amount of gardening done: ripped out a ton of weeds, killed a swarm of hornets, planted a few perennials and planted my black raspberry bush from Cortney. I love our new yard. We can actually play outside. It is awesome.

Crazy times!

I know this post has been a long time coming. You can thank Fairpoint Communications and their uselessness for that. They hooked up our phone at the new house, but decided to install our internet service at the old apartment. Clever, huh?

Anyway, in the space of the last week we moved in to the new house, valiantly tried to put things away, packed Sebastian off to 1st grade at the school across town, and then went camping Labor Day weekend with my cousin and her boyfriend-- all of which seems like too much for one week and it probably was. But we're all fine.

Sebastian making an odd face the first morning of school.

Dorian jumping for joy at the thought of Sebastian leaving. I really thought he would be more upset, but today I said, "Dorian, it's nice hanging out with just you." He said, "Yeah, I love Sebastian to go away." I had a brother, too, so I can understand.

Sebastian is clapping for the approaching bus.

I will say this about Sebastian going to public school: The administrators were a complete pain in my neck, and I was prepared to be very disappointed to have him go to school across town. But I got the chance to visit his class the day before school started and it seemed great for him. There was a whole library's worth of books in the room, it's a mixed 1st and 2nd grade class, they have a schedule that allows plenty of time for each topic, the teacher was nice, and they have a healthy snack program run by our food co-op. He already has a 2nd grade girlfriend named Brittney who brought him a bouquet on the second day. He is loving riding the bus. And I'm very happy for him.

Stay tuned for more photo updates featuring the house in all its dilapidated glory!