From there to here, from here to there, Funny things are everywhere
My crazy, busy life has been even crazier and busier than normal. I have so many blog ideas that I’m dying to get out, but they dissipate like morning dew in the hot sun every time I have more than a couple of minutes in front of the keyboard.
Lucky for me, I’m still finding moments for things like this:
Because really, is there anything more lovely than the joy of brothers at play? Don’t forget to find moments of joy in your life — they make everything else worth while!
Found this and had to share! “Ever dreamed to go space journy with your R2D2?? Unfortunately, such a dream can’t be true at the moment. But now this tiny R2D2 can serve you Soy Sauce by your one-hand little move, leaning the R2 body a little to put appropriate Soy Sauce on Chinese or Japanese fried rice.” The only thing better than an R2D2 soy sauce dispenser? These light sabre chop sticks. OMG, I love the Internet!
It’s been a long time since I’ve put up a “yay day” post, where we can share in the big and little things that are making us happy these days. I love the yay day posts for many reasons, not least of which I love to hear what’s worth celebrating in each of your lives, and also because I think it’s important to savour the good things that happen to all of us.
I have so much to be grateful for lately, I could fill and entire week of yay days. The boys are settling in well at their new school, and I’ve made a few friends in the neighbourhood myself. I even joined the parent council, definitely a post for another day. Yesterday, my eight year old read me a book that his teacher indicated was a late-Grade 5 reading level — which puts him about two years ahead of the curve. We bought a new fridge the other day, and a new washer and dryer, too. I’m excited about work because I’m doing another speaking engagement at a Social Media in Government conference on Tuesday, and I’ll have my excellent new Mark’s makeover clothes to show off. Heck, I’m happy just because it’s Friday!
Oh, and did I forget to mention that the house is sold? *squeeeeee!!!!!!* The conditions are waived and the deal is sealed, baby!! Not quite sure what the plan is from here, but it looks like we’ll take possession within a couple of weeks, and move in mid-October.
YAY!!
So tell me, my darling bloggy peeps, what’s making your heart sing these days? (And, thanks to Kerry for suggesting that today would be a good day for a yay day. You’re right as usual, Kerry!)
Hey, did you know that once upon a time I used to take a lot of pictures? I know, you’d never know it from the blog lately. In fact, there was a while there where I didn’t even touch the camera for two whole weeks. I’ve missed it horribly!
After another showing fiasco on Saturday (we cleaned for two hours for a showing, just to be prudent even though we already had the conditional offer, only to find out that our agent had canceled all the weekend showings. And forgot to tell us. Gah!) we decided that we all needed a family day. On Sunday, we took all three boys and the Nikon to the Richmond Fair for a day of rides, games, ponies and cotton candy.
It was, by all accounts, a perfect day.
I almost made this last one my picture of the day, but I think when I look back on this project in 20 years, it will be the pictures of the boys enjoying themselves that will mean the most to me. But damn, this one tickles my fancy. They’ve even got matching eyeglasses. Aren’t they adorable?
Happy Tuesday!
In the ongoing evolution of the Great Moving Project of 2010, we have moved beyond the rush of finding, the excitement of buying, the panic of preparing and the pain of selling. While we endure the seemingly endless wait until the waiver of conditions, anticipated for late this week or early next, we now turn our attention to the thrill of acquiring new stuff to cram into the new house!
The new house comes equipped with a stove that seems fairly similar to our current one and a dishwasher. I was going to bring our well-loved high-efficiency washer and dryer with us, and buy a new fridge, but the people who are buying our place are coming from a rental and wanted all five appliances. Long story short, we now find ourselves in the market for a washer, a dryer and a fridge.
The washer and dryer are a no-brainer for me. I’m quite happy to simply reacquire the latest version of the LG front-loading washer and dryer I currently have. In fact, at one of the local appliance shops right now they have a sale on that makes them about $200 cheaper than what I paid for a set with a few less features back in 2008.
The fridge thing is another issue. Actually, it’s several issues. First, the spot for the fridge in the new house is on the small side, and the height clearance is only 66 inches. We took a good look at the cupboards over the fridge, though, and decided it would make more sense in the long run to simply have someone remove those cupboards for us so we can get a decent-sized fridge. With three teenage boys on the horizon, we’re gonna need maximum fridge capacity! I’m not sure what our current fridge is, but I think it’s either 17 or 19 cubic feet.
Who knew there were so many fridge features to consider! Freezer top-mount or bottom-mount or along the side; pull-out shelves in the fridge on some of the higher-end models; french versus full doors… there’s a lot of options! I already know I don’t want stainless steel and I don’t want a water dispenser, so that narrows things down a little bit.
I’ve already decided I want a bottom-mount freezer, and I am toying with the idea of that “french door” style, like this one. I was all ready to go with an LG, but I was peeking at a couple of the GE Profile models in the showroom, and they seemed to have a bit more solid feel to them, and an extra pull-out basket in the freezer that I liked.
So here’s where we play “ask the bloggy peeps” again. What do you love and hate about your current fridge? What features do you covet, or find useless? I’m especially curious to know if any of you have the “french door” model and find that the doors don’t close well — maybe because they’re lighter than a traditional fridge door, but they don’t seem to seal themselves as well and I’m worried the boys won’t remember to push them closed all the way. And pull-out shelves in the fridge compartment — worth getting?
I’m also wondering if it’s worth the effort to pull out the small bit of wall that marks the edge of the fridge’s space in the kitchen to give us the extra inch we’ll need to move from a 19 cubic foot to a 22 cubic foot fridge. It may mean the side of the fridge impedes into the doorway into the kitchen by half an inch or so, but may well be worth it for the extra space. Thoughts?
Brands, features, loves, hates or cautionary tales? C’mon bloggy peeps, talk fridgey to me!
It went something like this:
*ring ring*
Hello?
Hey, Universe, it’s DaniGirl calling.
Oh hey, DaniGirl! Whattup?
Oh, you know, the usual. Crazy week here, even crazier than our normal kind of crazy.
Yeah, I hear ya. I’ve been a little busy myself.
Yeah, that’s kind of why I called. I wanted to talk to you about your mischievous ways.
Who, me?
Yes, you! You’re messing with me again! You know we’ve been trying to sell the house for three weeks now, and you know we’ve been absolutely killing ourselves keeping the place in perfect condition.
It’s true, I’ve been very impressed with the improvements to your housekeeping skills. Another couple of weeks and you’ll have that whole bedmaking thing down pat.
Yeah, well, we’ve certainly had a lot of practice. With just shy of 20 showings, you figure maybe two or three hours of cleaning per showing, that’s a good 60 or 70 hours invested in cleaning the house in the past three weeks.
Sounds like a full time job.
It really has been. So, that’s kind of what I was thinking about, that maybe there was a little intentional irony on your part yesterday.
I thought you’d be happy with how that all came out!
Oh, don’t get me wrong, we’re thrilled. But seriously? When the doorbell rang a half an hour before the scheduled appointment, I didn’t even hear it because I was still vacuuming the bedrooms. It was the dog barking that alerted me to the fact that someone was on the porch.
Yeah, the dog was pretty excited. I can’t believe you stuffed her in the garage.
Well what was I supposed to do? They showed up early, and I had been running late. There were still breakfast dishes in the sink, and the vacuum cleaner was sprawled across the bedroom floor. At least I’d started by cleaning the bathrooms and made sure all three toilets were flushed!
It was nice that they didn’t make you leave the house.
Yeah, that was nice. It was kind of fun eavesdropping on them while I put on my shoes to go wait on the porch. When I heard her say, “Ooo, it’s big!” I was feeling pretty good. I was feeling a little less good about being trapped on the porch in the pouring rain on such a miserable day, though.
Well, they didn’t leave you out there for long, at least.
True enough, and it was kind of nice chatting with them. I know I probably should have just kept completely quiet, but I couldn’t help but fawn over their adorable little 3 mos old baby.
So since it all worked out in the end, what exactly are you complaining about?
Hey Universe, don’t play coy with me. You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. I follow the conventions set forth by the stager and the real estate agent and the whole house-selling machine to a “T” for three painful weeks, and the first time I accidentally break the rules, we get an offer. What’s up with that?
Just keeping you on your toes, DaniGirl. And you’d best not mess with me, if you want this conditional sale to firm up so you can move to your fancy new house in Manotick.
Um, yeah, I see your point. Okay, Universe. Thanks for the, um, lesson. I think. Have a nice day!
Bye, DaniGirl.
Dear Mark’s (formerly known as Work Wearhouse),
You couldn’t have known when you invited me and a handful of other bloggers and journalists for an amazing makeover day just how badly I needed the break. In fact, my schedule lately has been so insane that I first missed the deadline to reply to your offer, then almost canceled, and then begged at the last minute for you to reschedule me to an earlier time slot so I could run home after my makeover to clean the house for back-to-back showings of the House That Will Not Sell. (Because maybe my bad hair was the reason the house was not selling?) And when I had asked if I could bring a friend, you graciously said yes, and then I had to cancel that when the friend I had in mind was my only available child care for the day. (Editorial aside: Thanks, Mom, I really owe you one for that.)
All that to say, I was rather stressed when I arrived at my appointed time, sandwiching my makeover between a twice-previously-canceled dental hygiene appointment and a date with a vacuum cleaner, and I was breathlessly flustered with no idea what to expect.
I had a chance to chat with one of your managers from Toronto, who took me on a quick tour of the store. Since my background is in corporate communications, I was interested in what she said about the the rebranding exercise that the company has recently undertaken, from Mark’s Work Wearhouse to Mark’s: Clothes That Work. Wow, have you ever updated your look and your product lines! I admit, I’ve always thought of Mark’s Work Wearhouse as a place to get basics like plain Ts, khaki pants and winter gear . But you’ve really reinvented your women’s fashion lines and I’m curious to try some of your innovations like Perfectly Pressed shirts (no ironing!) and the 50-Wash t-shirts.
She convinced me to try on a T-Max winter coat and step into your winter-simulation chamber to see whether it would hold up to a real Ottawa winter with -40C wind-chill, and I was highly impressed with both the simulation and the warmth of the coat. I was also reminded why I don’t wear high-heeled sandals and capri pants in the typical Ottawa winter — the coat I tried on needed a footie compartment for my poor frozen toes! 😉
So that was cool (well, actually, that was friggin’ freezing, except for the parts that stayed nice and toasty under the coat!) but the attention from your makeover staff was amazing. I ran into my bloggy friends Lara and Andrea while I had my hair and makeup professionally done, and had a great time admiring their new looks. I love love love what your stylists did for me — they totally understood me when I said I preferred a simple and straightforward look, but would like to add an extra touch of style.
And then I was placed in the competent hands my own personal stylist. Did you read all those blog posts I wrote lamenting my need for my own personal Clinton and Stacy? Yeah. Really? Thank you! He picked out a stunning outfit from me, and I couldn’t help but look at your new Ispiri fashion line and think, “Wow, this is so not what I expected to see here.” Now, I won’t even attempt to pretend that I know one thing about fashion, but as the old saying goes, I know what I like and I liked your Ispiri line. Sharp, colourful and — be still my heart! — comfortable clothes that look as good on me as they do on the hanger.
See????
Don’t I look awesome in your most excellent Ispiri leather bomber? OMG, I can’t tell you how long I have coveted something like this — and it’s a perfect match with that adorable Ispiri little black blouse.
But when you add on the Denver Hayes modern-fit black dress pants (seriously, who knew Denver Hayes pants could look so glam?) and these to-die-for kicky little ankle boots, also by Denver Hayes, that are so comfortable and so awesome that I will wear them every single day, even with my shorts if summer ever comes back even though they are fully winterized and even salt resistant? *squeeeee!*
I still can’t believe that’s me in that picture. Me, whose fashion signature runs to unflattering striped turtlenecks, in a FASHION SHOOT! And looking, in my very humble opinion, AWESOME!
So really, thank you, friends at Mark’s. And thanks to Rayanne and Andrea of Highroad Communications, who demonstrated an excellent understanding of how to manage a successful social media campaign, and perhaps more importantly, how to wrangle one distracted but eternally grateful blogger out of her insane life for a couple of perfect hours.
Now, could we please arrange to have your makeup artist, hair stylist and personal shopper show up at my house every morning at around 6:10? Because this is a lifestyle to which I would like to become accustomed, please. 🙂
Gratefully,
DaniGirl
Photo credit: David Kawai
I have mentioned before how Survivor seems to be tied inextricably up in my childbearing years. From the summer of my first pregnancy (that ended in miscarriage) during the debut season in 2000, to watching the first episode of the first Survivor All Stars season in 2004 from my hospital bed after Simon’s birth, to having the midwives show up to check the progress of my labour with Lucas the first night of the “Fans Versus Favourites” season in 2008, Survivor has been the leitmotif of the milestones in my childbearing years.
I thought of this last night, when I was discussing an odd new giddy optimism I’m feeling about selling the house. Someone from our open house on the weekend was asking questions about the age of the roof, the furnace and the windows. Those are the kinds of questions you ask when you’re seriously thinking about a house, right? It’s the closest we’ve come to an offer yet. And after more than a week with no scheduled showings, we have two back-to-back this afternoon.
Beloved and I were talking about what a busy day today will be. I have a dental hygiene appointment, and then (lucky me!) a makeover at Mark’s Work Wearhouse (blog post to follow on that one!), then I have to rush home and tidy the place for the back-to-back showings and get Lucas out of the house in time to pick up the boys at school, and we’ll have to have dinner out because one of the showings runs until 5:45 and I have to be at their new school for meet-the-teacher night for 6:30. Then I have to rush home in time to watch the Survivor Punks vs Geezers debut — haven’t missed one yet, not going to start now. Did I mention I love my PVR?
Anyway, all that to say, I wondered why all the excitement seems to happen on one day and Beloved said it would be even more exciting if we got an offer, and I said as long as they don’t call during Survivor and we both paused and looked at each other.
THAT would make for some lovely symmetry, don’t you think? (I’d earlier thought that there was delicious symmetry in the fact that we found the new house on Friday the 13th and our current house number is 113, so wouldn’t it be perfect if someone made an offer on September 13? Alas, that one came and went without a nibble.)
So maybe it’s not about changing the scented Swiffers, or buying new house plants, or rearranging the living room furniture, or fixing the closet door hardware — all things I have done in the last week to improve our odds of snagging a buyer.
Maybe it’s all about Survivor after all?
Sorry, I still don’t have time for a proper blog post today, but I received this from my old friends Cooper and Emily at the Motherhood and thought you might be interested:
You’re invited to join a live chat on “The State of the Mom Blogosphere,” hosted by some of the most influential mom bloggers on the web! (Join in or just read along!)
Date and Time: TODAY, Tuesday, at 1:00 pm ET (10:00 a.m. PT)
Location: In TheMotherhood.com (it’s all text):
http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62063The Fantastic Mom Blogger Co-Hosts:
Amie Adams, Mammaloves
Tracey Clark, TraceyClark and Shutter Sisters
Esther Brady Crawford, Faint Star Lite and ShePosts
Allison Czarnecki, Petit Elephant
Stacey Ferguson, Justice Fergie, Mamalaw and Blogalicious
Liz Gumbinner, Mom 101
Jennifer James, Jennifer James Online and Mom Bloggers Club
Isabel Kallman, Alpha Mom
Christine Koh, Boston Mamas
Laura Mayes, Blog Con Queso, Kirtsy and the Mom 2.0 SummitWe’ll be talking about:
– The explosion of mom blogs, from niche blogs (cooking, design, DIY, health, reviews, etc.) to hyper-local and more, including advice for newbies and old timers alike and the niches that are grabbing mom bloggers’ attention now.
– Creativity and mom blogs: Ways we are using our blogs to get creative with words, photos, video, shared projects, etc.
– Mom bloggers and brands – here to stay and moving fast. Reactions. Do’s and Don’ts. Advice for bloggers and brands.
– Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare – enhancing or taking away from blogging?
– Mom blogging: Predictions for 2011.
Survey Results:
We will also be sharing the results of TheMotherhood.com’s most recent mom blogger survey — answering the question of where social media influencer moms are most active on the web.Join the conversation at 1:00 pm ET : http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62063
It’s all text on TheMotherhood.com and all are welcome. On Twitter, the hashtag is #TheMotherhood.
We hope to see you there!!!!
Cooper & Emily
Co-Founders
TheMotherhood.com
There’s barely been time to tweet lately, let alone blog. Although the craziness of back-to-school week has subsided, there is no end yet on the horizon for the craziness that is selling this house. It’s been two weeks since it was listed and we’ve had a dozen appointments so far to see it, but we’ve still got nothing. I’m digging deep, deep into my psyche to find a wellspring of patience and zen about this whole experience.
In fact, it’s been a huge learning experience for all of us. Here’s five things I’ve learned so far:
1. I have attained the age of 41 years without ever properly learning how to make a bed.
To be fair, bed-making is not a skill I value. I frankly don’t care whether the beds get made or not in the mornings, and love crawling into my bed at the end of the day just as much when it’s taughtly drawn as when it’s a disheveled mess, but the stager said the beds must be made to “hotel perfection” for each showing. Hotel perfection is something we’ve yet to achieve, although we’ve now progressed beyond haphazardly tossed comforters and sheets hanging down. Barely.
By the way, Mom, don’t take this one personally. You imbued me with many other important life skills that have come in far more valuable than bed-making. Why am I so challenged at this? It seems to me the beds were made every day when I was growing up — obviously not by me, though!
2. I am a lousy housekeeper.
I’m sure I have put in more hours cleaning the house in the past two weeks than I have collectively over the past year *cough-orthree-cough* and have become obsessive about keeping the place clean. No mess will rest on my watch, and seeing mess in other places that are not my house for sale is beginning to stress me out. After the first weekend of showings, I went in to work on Monday and was horrified at the state of my desk.
I have, however, learned how to vacuum myself backwards out of a room so I don’t leave footprints in the pile — excellent for later when you come home and try to extrapolate viewer satisfaction based on the number and size and patterns of the footprints in the carpet.
3. I will never, ever ask to view a house unless I am 98 per cent sure I want to buy it.
I will absolutely never ask to view a house just on a lark. Honest to god, if I’m going to spend half the day cleaning the place for you, you damn well better be thinking about putting in an offer. And, as a corollary to this point:
4. There is a special place in hell for people who make appointments and do not show up.
After spending four hours cleaning this morning and making special arrangements to drop the dog off at my parents place, we returned after the designated hour to find that nobody had bothered to show up. One entire perfect autumn Saturday wasted, for no reason whatsoever. That’s just cruel.
5. Children do not understand the concept of preparing a house for show, no matter how carefully (or shriekily) you explain it to them.
One fine day Beloved was working until just before the showing, so I had to prep the place myself. With 20 minutes left and the main floor left to vacuum and polish, I came up from the basement to find Lucas holding one of the stair rail spindles, complete with rusty nail pointing out of the end. Exactly two minutes after fixing that, I accidentally vacuumed up the Nintendo DS charger cord that was plugged in to a power bar under the television set. When I yanked the vacuum back in a panic, not only did I yank the entire power bar out from under the TV, but I yanked the Wii, the cable box and the DVD player that had ALSO been plugged into the power bar off the back of the TV cabinet and onto the floor. With 10 minutes left before the people arrived. And I found myself saying to the children, “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but please — for the love of your mother, just go and sit over there by the front door and do not touch ANYTHING for the next ten minutes. Really, please? Just. sit. there.”
I’m thinking of creating a category for these posts called “misadventures in real estate” but I’m hoping that the experience won’t last long enough to merit one.