Since Tom's gone, I've found that a key to my sanity is to find joy in the simple pleasures. Here are a few that I've thought of this week:
1. The way a freshly-vacuumed carpet looks.
2. One-on-one snuggle time with Clare and James.
3. Enjoying a cup of wine and an episode (or 3) of BBC Robin Hood with my sister after the babies are in bed.
4. Crawling in to a bed with fresh, clean sheets.
5. Seeing Clare play outside in the sprinklers in her swimsuit all by herself.
6. The smell of clean floors (thanks, Shan!).
7. The quiet of the early mornings before babies are awake, when I have time to read, drink a cup of coffee, and do my morning meditation.
8. The feeling of sore muscles. I figure that if it hurts, it means it's getting smaller. :)
9. Hearing Clare and James giggling like crazy as they play together on the floor.
10. James's 2-tooth grins and Clare's hugs and kisses.
11. Video-chatting with Tom. I'm so thankful that technology allows us to hear and see him even from so far away.
12. Eating/drinking/cooking with fresh herbs from my back deck. This week we've used our basil, rosemary, mint, and lemon thyme. It's so awesome.
13. The generosity and friendliness of our neighbors. The other day one came over and gave us an enormous bag of freshly-picked rainier cherries from a tree in their back yard, and today our next-door neighbor gave us a couple of fresh crabs that they caught yesterday. Sooooo looking forward to eating those tonight! What a treat.
What are some of your simple pleasures?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
New Deck
Here are some photos of the new deck. Like Carrie said, we re-used the balisters since they -- unlike the rest of the deck -- were not suffering from rot. The wood does still need to be painted.
Differences from the old deck:
- The new deck is slightly (but noticeably) larger (8 X 12). The original deck was 8 X 10. Since it is larger we added a third support post.
- You can't fall through the new deck.
- Stairs.
- Azek (i.e., $$$ PVC) vs. 3/8ths-inch rotted wood decking.
And for the low, low price of $80 you can get a box of invisible screws.
Actually, I was really impressed with how difficult it is to see where the screw holes are. The box comes with Azek plugs to match your deck. You would have to be on your hands and knees to find where they are at.
Like Carrie said, we are very pleased with our new deck. And we are especially grateful to Tom Grover for his expertise. It never would have happened without his help.
-Tom
Differences from the old deck:
- The new deck is slightly (but noticeably) larger (8 X 12). The original deck was 8 X 10. Since it is larger we added a third support post.
- You can't fall through the new deck.
- Stairs.
- Azek (i.e., $$$ PVC) vs. 3/8ths-inch rotted wood decking.
And for the low, low price of $80 you can get a box of invisible screws.
Actually, I was really impressed with how difficult it is to see where the screw holes are. The box comes with Azek plugs to match your deck. You would have to be on your hands and knees to find where they are at.
Like Carrie said, we are very pleased with our new deck. And we are especially grateful to Tom Grover for his expertise. It never would have happened without his help.
-Tom
7 (not so) Quick Takes
Goodness, has it really been three weeks since I last posted something? Oh well, here are a few Quick Takes and snapshots of the happenings of the Herring household.
1. Bye-bye old roll-up shades that Clare loved to fray, hello brand new faux wood blinds throughout the whole house. We love them!
Kitchen window BEFORE:
Kitchen window AFTER:
2. Check one project off the list. On to another (much bigger) one: rebuilding our deck which was threatening to fall apart and add some stairs so that we can actually get down to our yard from the patio door (a pet peeve of mine for the past year).
Tom went to Lowe's and used their "design a deck" computer program to come up with an estimate of our building costs. Their estimate: $3000. For a 10 x 10 deck with stairs! We thought that sounded a little high, especially considering that we were going to do it ourselves. Fortunately for us, my mom's husband Tom knows what he's doing, has all the fancy equipment, and was willing to spend a couple of days at our house working on it. With his help, re-using some of the salvageable cedar railings, and not having any waste or equipment rentals/purchase, we were able to cut the estimate we got at Lowe's in half AND use the Azek decking (like Trex but a little better according to the guy at Kitsap Lumber) that we wanted to.
Here are some pictures of the whole process. It only took 2 days for them to get this done! I was impressed at how quickly it can go when you have a project manager who knows what he's doing. Thank you soooooooo much, Tom (Grover)!
BEFORE looking out the patio door:
BEFORE from the back yard:
Tom doing the "head scratching" part:
Digging up the footings of the old deck
Clare had to help dig, too.
Shannon got a tutorial on how to use the saw and was then in charge of cutting (perfectly, I might add) all the deck material.
Putting up the railing on the stairs.
Well, I guess I have pretty good before and during shots, but I need to take a few of the completed project. We LOVE our new deck and the ability to get down to the back yard from the house!
3. We also painted the guest bathroom, but I don't have any before/after shots of that. It looks great, though.
4. Tom's Spring Quarter ends today! Thank goodness. No more 12-hour days of work + homework...at least for the next 10 days. Summer Quarter begins on the 21st. Tom was working hard one night after dinner on some homework, and Clare thought he needed a little cup of "tea" aka: water in her plastic tea cup to perk him up.
5. James has teeth!
6. My little kitchen helpers unloading the dishwasher for me:
7. Please keep our friend Matt Oakland in your prayers. He's being ordained to the Priesthood tomorrow!!! We are so thankful for his generous "yes" to God's call and are looking forward to celebrating with him tomorrow.
1. Bye-bye old roll-up shades that Clare loved to fray, hello brand new faux wood blinds throughout the whole house. We love them!
Kitchen window BEFORE:
Kitchen window AFTER:
2. Check one project off the list. On to another (much bigger) one: rebuilding our deck which was threatening to fall apart and add some stairs so that we can actually get down to our yard from the patio door (a pet peeve of mine for the past year).
Tom went to Lowe's and used their "design a deck" computer program to come up with an estimate of our building costs. Their estimate: $3000. For a 10 x 10 deck with stairs! We thought that sounded a little high, especially considering that we were going to do it ourselves. Fortunately for us, my mom's husband Tom knows what he's doing, has all the fancy equipment, and was willing to spend a couple of days at our house working on it. With his help, re-using some of the salvageable cedar railings, and not having any waste or equipment rentals/purchase, we were able to cut the estimate we got at Lowe's in half AND use the Azek decking (like Trex but a little better according to the guy at Kitsap Lumber) that we wanted to.
Here are some pictures of the whole process. It only took 2 days for them to get this done! I was impressed at how quickly it can go when you have a project manager who knows what he's doing. Thank you soooooooo much, Tom (Grover)!
BEFORE looking out the patio door:
BEFORE from the back yard:
Tom doing the "head scratching" part:
Digging up the footings of the old deck
Clare had to help dig, too.
Shannon got a tutorial on how to use the saw and was then in charge of cutting (perfectly, I might add) all the deck material.
Putting up the railing on the stairs.
Well, I guess I have pretty good before and during shots, but I need to take a few of the completed project. We LOVE our new deck and the ability to get down to the back yard from the house!
3. We also painted the guest bathroom, but I don't have any before/after shots of that. It looks great, though.
4. Tom's Spring Quarter ends today! Thank goodness. No more 12-hour days of work + homework...at least for the next 10 days. Summer Quarter begins on the 21st. Tom was working hard one night after dinner on some homework, and Clare thought he needed a little cup of "tea" aka: water in her plastic tea cup to perk him up.
5. James has teeth!
6. My little kitchen helpers unloading the dishwasher for me:
7. Please keep our friend Matt Oakland in your prayers. He's being ordained to the Priesthood tomorrow!!! We are so thankful for his generous "yes" to God's call and are looking forward to celebrating with him tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Do-Over
Today I'm thankful for the "do-over."
Nothing to do with sports; this has everything to do with life.
Yesterday was, as Clare would put it, "a rough day." Sometimes I marvel at how quickly my sweet little 2-year old can go from super helpful angel girl (she folded/put away a bunch of laundry AND helped unload the diswasher - unprompted) to a stubborn, no-nap, tantrum-throwing tornado of emotions. By the time Tom came home from work and doing schoolwork I was ready to stand on the street corner and sell her to the lowest bidder.
I was just looking forward to a new day, a new start, with my little girl. A chance to begin again - for both of us. I just wanted to scream, "Do over!" like we used to do when missing a serve at family volleyball games as kids.
Reflecting on my desire for a do-over with Clare last night, I realized that this has implications far beyond parenting. I not only wanted a do-over for myself, I had to be willing to let Clare have another shot at having a good day without letting the cloud of yesterday's craziness settle on my heart.
This is only a *tiny* portion of what God our loving Father must experience when we, His beloved children, rebel, refuse to listen, and throw temper tantrums. Yet, day in and day out, He gives us another shot. Another opportunity to love Him better, to obey Him better, to shout to Heaven, "Do over!"
Nothing to do with sports; this has everything to do with life.
Yesterday was, as Clare would put it, "a rough day." Sometimes I marvel at how quickly my sweet little 2-year old can go from super helpful angel girl (she folded/put away a bunch of laundry AND helped unload the diswasher - unprompted) to a stubborn, no-nap, tantrum-throwing tornado of emotions. By the time Tom came home from work and doing schoolwork I was ready to stand on the street corner and sell her to the lowest bidder.
I was just looking forward to a new day, a new start, with my little girl. A chance to begin again - for both of us. I just wanted to scream, "Do over!" like we used to do when missing a serve at family volleyball games as kids.
Reflecting on my desire for a do-over with Clare last night, I realized that this has implications far beyond parenting. I not only wanted a do-over for myself, I had to be willing to let Clare have another shot at having a good day without letting the cloud of yesterday's craziness settle on my heart.
This is only a *tiny* portion of what God our loving Father must experience when we, His beloved children, rebel, refuse to listen, and throw temper tantrums. Yet, day in and day out, He gives us another shot. Another opportunity to love Him better, to obey Him better, to shout to Heaven, "Do over!"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Snapshot of my Day
6:15 AM Get up to do morning prayers and have coffee.
6:20 AM James wakes up. Nurse him back to sleep.
6:30 AM Clare wakes up. Crawls in to my bed and starts crying that she wants chocolate milk. I tell her that if she's quiet for a few minutes while I nurse James I will make it for her. Anything to keep her quiet while I tried to get James back to sleep...
6:40 AM Make said chocolate milk for Clare and send her back to her bed with it.
6:45 AM Finally get up to get my coffee started. Enjoy a little peace and quiet while I do my meditation. :)
7:10 AM Clare apparently did NOT go back to sleep at 6:40. She wanders out to the living room and asks (ever so sweetly), "Mommy, can I come out and snuggle with you?" How could I resist? We sit on the couch and read together while I finish my coffee.
7:30 AM Decide to get ready for the day. Clare and Mommy dressed. Throw a load of laundry in.
8:00 AM James up for the day. He doesn't usually sleep this late...he slept for 13 hours last night!
Watch "Wee Sing - Adventures in Sillyville" while I unload the dishwasher and get breakfast in Mommy & Clare and nurse James. Make beds and tidy rooms.
9:00 AM Turn on Mass on EWTN. Try to convince Clare that she doesn't need to yell at the top of her lungs while she rides her bike around the house. Mommy's trying to listen to the homily...somewhat unsuccessfully.
Transfer laundry. Put breakfast dishes in. Put another load in the washer.
9:30 AM James getting fussy. This is his normal AM nap time, but I'm thinking he might be off a bit because he woke up so late. Nurse him in the Ergo anyway. Heck, he might go down.
10:00 AM He's REALLY cranky and definitely falling asleep on me as we walk around the house. Awesome! A morning nap might happen, after all. Take him to my room to put him down. It's going great until Clare comes in to "help" me put him down. Snuggling was OK for a little bit, but then she started to squirm around. Since he's falling asleep I'm trying desperately to whisper, "Clare, it's time to be quiet and still. When James falls asleep we can go out and make some cookies for Daddy." Apparently this just makes her angry, so she yells for no particular reason. James is awake now. Nurse him another minute, and his eyes start to droop again. Yay! Then Clare puts her feet in James's back and pushes. Ok. Enough. Detach from baby and drag toddler to her room for a time out while I try to get James calmed down and back to sleep.
Clare screaming and throwing herself at the door. James is now fully awake and more than likely not going to go back to sleep. Agh.
10:40 AM All's quiet in Clare's room. She apologizes. All three of us go out to make cookies.
Transfer laundry. Start making cookies. Everyone's having fun.
Put a sheet of cookies in and decide that 10 minutes is plenty of time for me to hang up my wet laundry and vacuum the bedrooms. Clare's playing games with James. Both kids laughing like crazy. I love it.
Finish vacuuming, put another sheet of cookies in. Clare and James still playing on the floor. James starts screaming an "in pain" scream. I ask Clare what happened. She accidentally kicked James while they were playing (I believe her that it was an accident). We're practicing apologizing promptly when someone gets hurt, even if it was an accident. She's not taking to it very well. She apologizes to me. She apologizes to Daddy. She apologizes to Grandma. She will NOT use James's name in the apology. Back to her room for a time out. (More experienced mommys out there: am I right in assuming that this is defiance and I ought to make her apologize to James?)
5 minutes later: it's quiet in her room, so I go in to check to see if she's ready to apologize to James. She's in there playing games. I tell her that time out is not a time to play and that now she has to do her time out where I can watch her. (Flashback to my childhood) She gets to stand in the corner of the living room until she's ready to apologize to James. This works! It only took 2 minutes.
Cookies are done and now it's time for lunch.
By now James is getting cranky again because now it's time to nurse and he's missed his AM nap.
Another thing we're working on with Clare is sitting nicely in her chair while we eat. She has good days and bad days. Today was not a great day. She had to forfeit the cookie she was looking forward to.
Time to try to go #2 before nap time. (I have to do this because she will go ON PURPOSE as an excuse to get out of bed). She will not stay on the toilet, so now I have to just shut the bathroom door and leave her there until she's done.
It's 12:30 PM. Is it nap time yet?
6:20 AM James wakes up. Nurse him back to sleep.
6:30 AM Clare wakes up. Crawls in to my bed and starts crying that she wants chocolate milk. I tell her that if she's quiet for a few minutes while I nurse James I will make it for her. Anything to keep her quiet while I tried to get James back to sleep...
6:40 AM Make said chocolate milk for Clare and send her back to her bed with it.
6:45 AM Finally get up to get my coffee started. Enjoy a little peace and quiet while I do my meditation. :)
7:10 AM Clare apparently did NOT go back to sleep at 6:40. She wanders out to the living room and asks (ever so sweetly), "Mommy, can I come out and snuggle with you?" How could I resist? We sit on the couch and read together while I finish my coffee.
7:30 AM Decide to get ready for the day. Clare and Mommy dressed. Throw a load of laundry in.
8:00 AM James up for the day. He doesn't usually sleep this late...he slept for 13 hours last night!
Watch "Wee Sing - Adventures in Sillyville" while I unload the dishwasher and get breakfast in Mommy & Clare and nurse James. Make beds and tidy rooms.
9:00 AM Turn on Mass on EWTN. Try to convince Clare that she doesn't need to yell at the top of her lungs while she rides her bike around the house. Mommy's trying to listen to the homily...somewhat unsuccessfully.
Transfer laundry. Put breakfast dishes in. Put another load in the washer.
9:30 AM James getting fussy. This is his normal AM nap time, but I'm thinking he might be off a bit because he woke up so late. Nurse him in the Ergo anyway. Heck, he might go down.
10:00 AM He's REALLY cranky and definitely falling asleep on me as we walk around the house. Awesome! A morning nap might happen, after all. Take him to my room to put him down. It's going great until Clare comes in to "help" me put him down. Snuggling was OK for a little bit, but then she started to squirm around. Since he's falling asleep I'm trying desperately to whisper, "Clare, it's time to be quiet and still. When James falls asleep we can go out and make some cookies for Daddy." Apparently this just makes her angry, so she yells for no particular reason. James is awake now. Nurse him another minute, and his eyes start to droop again. Yay! Then Clare puts her feet in James's back and pushes. Ok. Enough. Detach from baby and drag toddler to her room for a time out while I try to get James calmed down and back to sleep.
Clare screaming and throwing herself at the door. James is now fully awake and more than likely not going to go back to sleep. Agh.
10:40 AM All's quiet in Clare's room. She apologizes. All three of us go out to make cookies.
Transfer laundry. Start making cookies. Everyone's having fun.
Put a sheet of cookies in and decide that 10 minutes is plenty of time for me to hang up my wet laundry and vacuum the bedrooms. Clare's playing games with James. Both kids laughing like crazy. I love it.
Finish vacuuming, put another sheet of cookies in. Clare and James still playing on the floor. James starts screaming an "in pain" scream. I ask Clare what happened. She accidentally kicked James while they were playing (I believe her that it was an accident). We're practicing apologizing promptly when someone gets hurt, even if it was an accident. She's not taking to it very well. She apologizes to me. She apologizes to Daddy. She apologizes to Grandma. She will NOT use James's name in the apology. Back to her room for a time out. (More experienced mommys out there: am I right in assuming that this is defiance and I ought to make her apologize to James?)
5 minutes later: it's quiet in her room, so I go in to check to see if she's ready to apologize to James. She's in there playing games. I tell her that time out is not a time to play and that now she has to do her time out where I can watch her. (Flashback to my childhood) She gets to stand in the corner of the living room until she's ready to apologize to James. This works! It only took 2 minutes.
Cookies are done and now it's time for lunch.
By now James is getting cranky again because now it's time to nurse and he's missed his AM nap.
Another thing we're working on with Clare is sitting nicely in her chair while we eat. She has good days and bad days. Today was not a great day. She had to forfeit the cookie she was looking forward to.
Time to try to go #2 before nap time. (I have to do this because she will go ON PURPOSE as an excuse to get out of bed). She will not stay on the toilet, so now I have to just shut the bathroom door and leave her there until she's done.
It's 12:30 PM. Is it nap time yet?
Friday, April 16, 2010
7 Quick Takes Friday
1. We're having our first night out since our anniversary in July - without the babies - and going to see Brian Regan at the Paramount in Seattle with Tom's brother Chris and his girlfriend Jackie. Sooooooo excited!
2.
Bribery? Maybe. I prefer to think of it as incentive for good behavior at the grocery store.
3. Clare's elbow popped out of joint this week. Apparently "nursemaid's elbow" is very common...so one quick trip to the pediatrician and she was right as rain. And now I know how to fix it in the future.
4.
Our neighbors' son outgrew this little swing, so they gave it it us! Both Clare and James love it.
5. Tom has been staying late at work every day this week to watch lectures for school. While we really appreciate him working SO hard, we miss him like crazy. I need to do a better job at keeping a positive attitude about him getting his Master's - focusing on the end goal instead of the evenings that we're missing him.
6. Tom's dad (Tim) had his hip replaced this morning. Everything went well and he's recovering, but will be in the hospital until Monday or Tuesday. Prayers for his speedy recovery are much appreciated!
7.
I never get tired of all the goofy positions in which Clare decides that she needs to sleep. No idea why the raincoat made an appearance for nap time, but apparently it was very important.
2.
Bribery? Maybe. I prefer to think of it as incentive for good behavior at the grocery store.
3. Clare's elbow popped out of joint this week. Apparently "nursemaid's elbow" is very common...so one quick trip to the pediatrician and she was right as rain. And now I know how to fix it in the future.
4.
Our neighbors' son outgrew this little swing, so they gave it it us! Both Clare and James love it.
5. Tom has been staying late at work every day this week to watch lectures for school. While we really appreciate him working SO hard, we miss him like crazy. I need to do a better job at keeping a positive attitude about him getting his Master's - focusing on the end goal instead of the evenings that we're missing him.
6. Tom's dad (Tim) had his hip replaced this morning. Everything went well and he's recovering, but will be in the hospital until Monday or Tuesday. Prayers for his speedy recovery are much appreciated!
7.
I never get tired of all the goofy positions in which Clare decides that she needs to sleep. No idea why the raincoat made an appearance for nap time, but apparently it was very important.
Friday, April 9, 2010
7 Quick Takes Friday
1. On my to-do list for the day: Batch cooking turkey soup, ham & split pea soup, and roasting a chicken for future meals. Today is also floor cleaning day. We'll see how I do. Then throwing in feeding the kids, playing with them a bit, going to the store, and having Tom's sisters overnight! :)
2. Number of sippy cups I found in random places around the house this morning: 5.
3. Number of nose-suctioning sessions we've had so far today: 3.
4. I woke up at 6:30 this morning to find Clare not in her bed, not in her closet, but sitting quietly in the rocking chair in the living room. I have no idea how long she's been up today. I guess we'll find out by about 11 AM if she's in total meltdown mode.
5. A shortcut I've learned: wiping down the mirror and faucets with a towel after I shower while it's nice and steamy in the bathroom cuts down on a few steps when I have to clean the bathroom and keeps it looking nice in between deep cleanings.
6. James has started only going #2 once or twice a week for the past few weeks. While on the one hand it's nice not having quite as many poopy diapers, when he does go, he GOES and it usually involves a bath in the sink afterward.
7. Speaking of James - He had his 6-month checkup this week. He's still big, but not quite as huge as he has been compared to other babies his age. 90% for weight (21 lbs.) and 88% for height (28").
2. Number of sippy cups I found in random places around the house this morning: 5.
3. Number of nose-suctioning sessions we've had so far today: 3.
4. I woke up at 6:30 this morning to find Clare not in her bed, not in her closet, but sitting quietly in the rocking chair in the living room. I have no idea how long she's been up today. I guess we'll find out by about 11 AM if she's in total meltdown mode.
5. A shortcut I've learned: wiping down the mirror and faucets with a towel after I shower while it's nice and steamy in the bathroom cuts down on a few steps when I have to clean the bathroom and keeps it looking nice in between deep cleanings.
6. James has started only going #2 once or twice a week for the past few weeks. While on the one hand it's nice not having quite as many poopy diapers, when he does go, he GOES and it usually involves a bath in the sink afterward.
7. Speaking of James - He had his 6-month checkup this week. He's still big, but not quite as huge as he has been compared to other babies his age. 90% for weight (21 lbs.) and 88% for height (28").
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