I repeat. Serenity Now!

To read my first installment on how the universe is crumbling all around me, click here.

***

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, dear readers.

It's that time again.

Time for me to share with you all my woes and angst, while randomly shouting, "Serenity Now!"

And it's time for you to pretend to care about my troubles.

1)  Many of you might recall that we own one home that we are keeping as a vacation rental.

Turns out this is a lot more work/stress/money/stress/work than we initially perceived.

Weareexhausted.

After our first renters, the queen bed frame broke.

Serenity Now!

2.  The frame/headboard/footboard was given to The Lumberjack and I as a wedding gift.

10 years ago.

The Lumberjack, in all  his handsomeness, pulled out no less than 7.3 million power tools and began to repair the bed so it could function for our next group.

Then me, in all my portliness, decided to try to test the repaired bed out to ensure that it would be sturdy for the next weary travellers at David and Taylor's Comfort Inn.

Folks.

There was a lot of creaking and moaning coming from that bed.

Creaking?  Moaning? Bed breaking?

This is unacceptable for David and Taylor's Comfort Inn.

Serenity Now!

3.  On Monday I spent 3 hours cleaning that darned house.

The Lumberjack worked on the yard for about 1 hour.

On Tuesday I spent 3 more hours cleaning that darned house.

The Lumberjack was there for 3 as well.

On Wednesday I spent an additional 3 hours cleaning.

The Lumberjack was there for 1 1/2.

Looks like someone isn't pulling his weight around here.

There has got to be a smarter way to do this.

Somebody.

Help me.

Serenity Now!

4.  In the past 3 days I have spent a ridiculous amount of money for this stupid, stupid, stupid rental.

You may ask, 'Taylor!  How much exactly did you spend, pray tell?"

And I will respond, "Ha!  Silly readers!  I cannot say.  For if some random friend or relative ever mentioned it to my Lumberjack, he would have a conniption."

A conniption?

Yes.

A  conniption fit and he would banish me to the closet without dinner.

Lumberjacks are mean like that.

And I am tired of spending money.

Serenity Now!

5.  The Lumberjack got the sprinklers working at the rental house around 9pm last night.

And discovered a sprinkler head was broken.

So, he decided to run to Home Depot really quick-like to fix it.

And he bought the wrong one.

Serenity Now!

Oh!  and more fun!  Handsome Dude broke the new BBQ the Lumberjack purchased for this house without anyone even using it first.

Serenity Now! 

Now!  Now!  Now!

6.  Do you know just how much cleaning is required for a rental?

Think about it.

If you were staying in a hotel, you would expect things to be super clean . . . right?

Like if you saw a dirty baseboard or a cobweb in the corner, you would be a little grossed out . . .

Or if the BBQ at the house had food burnt on it . . .

Or if you touched the top of the microwave and it was dusty . . .

Or if there was grossness in the bottom of the trash can . . .

Or if the box fan was dusty . . .

Or if there was a tiny, tiny, tiny stain on the shower curtain (I just  ended up buying a new shower curtain . . . shh!  don't tell my husband!) . . .

Or if the oven has a small splatter in it . . .

Do you know how exhausting it is to try to clean a house to "hotel-ish" standards while praying that your 4 Lumberjacklings don't create more of a mess?

Iamsotired.

Serenity Now!

7.  Do you know how much gas we have gone through these past few days driving from Ruralville to City House?

Serenity Now!

8.  My good friend Melissa, aka Bimlissa, just informed me she is moving across the country in like 3 weeks.

She is taking that Bimbaby that is dwelling in her tummy without me getting to hold him first.

Who does she think she is?

Serenity Now!

9.  My scale will only weigh me in kilograms.

Why?

Who knows.

I am sure I am gaining weight by the second, but I am too lazy to convert to poundage.

Serenity Now!

10.  The house in Ruralville has an alarm system.

Yes.

We are that high-class now.

However.

It is not properly functioning and my husband is trying to tell me that he cannot fix it.

Right.

So, randomly it will just start loudly beeping and scare the living daylights out of all of us.

I told him I am going to have to hire an electrician to come and fix this.

He said, "Sounds good."

Ha!

Like we can afford one.

We've got to buy, supply, and maintain mattresses, box springs, bed frames, bed skirts, mattress pads, fitted sheets, flat sheets, comforters, pillows, pillow cases,  sprinkler heads, fencing materials, bath towels, beach towels, hand towels, wash cloths, dish towels, dish rags, sponges, tables, plates, bowls, glasses, mugs, strainer, cheese grater, serving bowls, BBQ tools, coffee pot, blender, toaster, pots, pans, silverware, cooking utensils, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, soaps, rugs, pillows, hangers, ironing boards, irons, door mat, broom, dust pan, mop, high chair, stroller, pack and play, curtains, bath mats, toilet bowl cleaners, toilet plungers, oven, refrigerator, dish washer, washing machine (still broken, by the way), dryer, water heater, electric cadet heaters, lawn mower, porch swing, porch rocking chair, kids picnic table, swing set, box fans, tv, satellite, dvd player, dvds, games, and a vacuum for a home that we no longer live in.

No.  The home that we live in currently looks like Weedfest 2010 and if we have any sort of company over for dinner, I fear they will have to eat on the floor.

Serenity Now!

11.  I want to sell the other house.

Serenity Now!

12.  I don't care anymore that I felt all sentimental towards it and wanted to keep it forever and ever.

Sell it!

I wash my hands of it!

Serenity Now!

13.  These are the forks we have to use at Ruralville.

Ouch.

It's a good thing we are never at Ruralville to eat.

Serenity Now!

14.  It's a good thing I am not a complainer.

15.  Speaking of the aforementioned Bimlissa, look at what she got me for my birthday:

16.  My sister linked up this Whitney Houston video to my Facebook yesterday.

Please watch this, as it is quite fantastic.

To this, I will not say, Serenity Now.

No.

I will instead shout:

Holy Hairbow!

She does have a point, you know.

How will one know?

Hmmm . . . things to ponder.

Happy Thursday.

Blogroll, Blunders, and Bovine.

 

Howdy-ho!

I recently removed my blogroll.

Why?

Because I fell behind in updating it.

Then I became confused and perplexed as to who was on there and who was not on there.

Frightened and weak I soon became . . . worried that there were bloggers out there in cyberspace who felt they should be on my blogroll, and sadly, they were not.

So, I removed my blogroll, began to suck my thumb for the first time since kindergarten, and hid in the corner, afraid of what you all might think of me.

But then . . . a stroke of genius hit me.

I will make you do the hard work for me!

Ah!

Brilliant!

Do you have a blog?  Do I stop by your blog?  Would you like to be on my blogroll?

Spoiler Alert:  Being on my blogroll is not exciting.

Take a gander to the sidebar on the right.

If you are not on there and would like to be, please leave your blog address in the comment section of this here post.

***

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

Beckies.

(Name that song)

Yesterday, I posted a picture that revealed top secret Lumberjackling information.

Did you see it?

Did you see it?

If you did . . . hush up!

I posted a picture of Handsome Dude having a pentecostal moment and forgot that on the boys' pajamas, my mother-in-law had lovingly stitched on their factual names.

And some of you were able to see the factual names.

*Gasp!*

That's right, folks.

We had a breach in security over here.

Two darlings, Teresa Dawn and Jennifer discreetly pointed my blunder out for me.

And Teresa Dawn, who must recall that I am, in fact, a complete and utter nincompoop, edited the photo and emailed it to me, allowing me to upload a safe, mistake-free photo to the blog without me having to yell and curse at the computer while attempting to fix it myself!

Go, Teresa Dawn!

Fact:  Lumberjill does not curse.

Go say hello to Teresa Dawn and Jennifer.

***

I asked for a new COW picture.  I can't decide which one to use.

So, I thought we would have a little votesie.

Because I am certain you care deeply about which picture of a cow I use for the COW.

COW A suggested by The Musician's Wife: 

This photo is courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

Don't worry, Ree!

Rest assured . . . you are already on my blogroll.

Lest any of you are confused, Ms. Pioneer Woman knoweth not that I exist.

COW B suggested by Jessy:

I don't know where this one came from.

I guess it just magically appeared!

So, there you have it!  Two COWS to choose from.

Here is your mission if you should choose to accept it.

Leave a comment and please include the following:

1.  Your blog if you want to be on my blogroll.

2. If you saw my boys' names yesterday, say:  You are a goober.

If you did not see them say:  I am a goober.

3.  Tell me if you like COW A or COW B

Thank you.

Have a splendid and divine Wednesday.

Happenstances and Ponderings.

Is "happenstances" a word?

I vote yes!

Simply for the fact that it sounds fantastic.

Well, here are some recent happenings, or happenstances, if you will, in our lives.

1.  Turns out owning property is a lot of work! 

Who knew?! 

 We spent a few hours on Saturday morning working on the terrible weed situation that has plagued our rolling hills.

Yet, we hardly made a dent.

I am exhausted just thinking about it.

2.  Is it sad that I really want my own pair of work gloves after that treacherous, thorny morning?

Yes.

Yes, it is.

3.  Is it sad that I am considering looking into the Carhartt's Ladies Ranchwear clothing line for next year's Christmas list?

Yes.

Yes, it is.

But, folks . . . this is now my life.

Goodbye, Gap!

Hello, Wranglers.

4.  I am terrified of hitting a deer.

5.  I now have to bring a cooler in my "rig" for grocery shopping.

Yes.

I am one of those people.

6.  Our first renters for our trial vacation home left yesterday.  They left me flowers!  Go me!

Dear Lumberjack,

Take notes.

Love, Lumberjill.

7.  Turns out that cleaning up after other people is kind of gross.

Who knew?!

I think I should wear gloves.

Thoughts?

8.  Yesterday, I mentioned how Handsome Dude just randomly shouted,

"Jesus and God!"

It made me think of this picture of him:

He is on the left.

Turns out my boy is prone to pentecostal moments.

Aaaaannnndddd . . . I love him.

Jesus and God!

9.  We are considering getting a new puppy.

We are stupid like that.

10.  The mail at our new house comes at like 9:30am.

This leaves no room for error or forgetfulness.

11.  Our family is exhausted.  We want to go camping.

12.  I think brownies are delightful.

13.  I need to embrace exercise in my life.

14.  I still heart carpet.

Silly readers.

You can tell me all the cons about carpet over and over again.

But, alas!

I do not care.

For I have lived with wood floors since the day I married my Lumberjack.

And I've done had my fill of them.

15.  It seems as if I have ignited some curiosity in my readers as to where I live.

Trust me.

It's not that exciting.

But, I must not share.

Wouldn't be prudent at this juncture.

(Name that SNL actor)

Later, Dudes!

Happy Tuesday.

The Breakfast Club

Fun Fact:  I have never seen that movie.  Nor do I know what it is about.

***

Handsome Dude

Little Dude, aka Cokey.

You may ask, "Taylor.  Why is your son called Cokey?"

Well, dear readers, I don't know.

But Handsome Dude, who is a stubborn dude, has been calling him that for a while.

So, we all call him Cokey.  Except for The Lumberjack.

He refuses.

That Lumberjack.

Sometimes he can be a grumpy gus.

This morning I had a delightful breakfast conversation with my boys.

And since this excitement is, in fact, my life, I thought I would share it with you.

Please.

Try not to be jealous.

Not everyone can have this thrill-ride for a life.

***

 

Me:  Can you say, "More milk, please?"

Boys:  Pleeeeeaaase!

Me:  Can you say, "Love you Mommy!"

Boys:  No.

Me:  What?  Cokey, do you love Mommy?

Little Dude, aka Cokey: No!

Me:  Handsome Dude?  Do you love Mommy?

Handsome Dude:  No!  I not!  Sweet Pea likes you.

Sweet Pea is my oldest.  She is currently sleeping.

Let us have a moment of applause for Sweet Pea while we bemoan the fact that the boys woke up at 5:51am.

Thank you.

Me:  Why don't you love me?

Handsome Dude:  Cokey!

Little Dude:  No!

Hmmm.  That made sense.

Me:  Is your oatmeal yummy?

Handsome Dude:  Nope.

Little Dude: Ow!

There was absolutely nothing wrong with him.  He was just trying to get out of eating his nutritious breakfast his mother so lovingly prepared for him.

Whatever, Little Dude.

What.

Ever.

Me:  Why did you spit your oatmeal out?

Handsome Dude:  I no like it.

Me:  What should we do today?

HD (short for Handsome Dude.  Keep up, people!):  Get shoes!  There are shoes at the grocery store!

Me:  We just got you shoes yesterday.

And it was a horrific experience with several meltdowns, tears, and one Handsome Dude laying prostrate in a fit of fury on the floor of Payless Shoe Source.

Good times.

HD:  Where?  Here?  We can go to Target.

Me:  No.  We already bought you shoes.  You don't need shoes.  What should we do today?

Handsome Dude gets out of his seat and tries to climb on my head.

Don't fear for me.

This is the way my monster shows love.

HD:  We get shoes  mommy.  My shoes.  Your shoes.  There are shoes at the grocery store, Mommy.  Mommy!  How about we get some shoes, Mommy!  Mommy!  MOMMY!  MOM-My!

Me:  What?

HD:  We can get some shoes.

Me:  No.  We already got some.

HD:  Where.

I fear Handsome Dude's cognitive thinking skills are below par.

Me:  What else could we get at the grocery store?

HD:  Mommy's coffee!  I hold Mommy's coffee and put it in the cart.  It's time for bye-bye.

He runs and puts on his shoes.

Ironically, they are the shoes we just bought yesterday.

At Payless.

You know.

Expect more.  Pay less.  Payless.

Me:  No.  The girls are still asleep.

HD:  Can we ride our bikes?

Me:  It's like 6:45 am.

HD:  It's cold?

Me:  Yes.

I am a liar.  It is not cold.

I am simply lazy and do not want to go open up the shop to retrieve his bike.

Besides.

It is not even 7am yet.

Who, in their right mind, would want to exercise at that hour?

HD:  It's cold with the trees?

Me:  Yes.

See?  Liar.

Me:  Cokey!  What do you want to do today?

Little Dude:  heeheeeheee-nah?  Huh?

I fear Little Dude's verbal skills are below par.

Me:  Cokey?

Little Dude:  Mama!

Me:  What do you want to do today?

Little Dude:  No!  Hi!  Mama!

Me:  Handsome Dude, do you see any deer outside?

HD:  No.  I close window up.

This means he is opening the window.

Keep up, people!

Me:  Cokey.  Don't spill your milk on your tray.

Handsome dude:  Jesus and God!

Well.

That was random.

Me:  Does Jesus love you?

HD:  No.  Jesus love Cokey.

Me:  Jesus loves you too.

HD:  No.  He scary.  And mean.  Jesus naughty.

I fear I have fallen behind in teaching Handsome Dude about . . . everything.

He leads a confused life.

Me:  No.  Jesus is  not naughty.

HD:  YESSSSS!  Jesus wee naughty!

Me:  No.  He is not.

HD throws himself on the floor in a fit of fury and despair.

HD:  No!  He naughty!

And that, my friends, was my breakfast with the boys.

Don't pretend you weren't thrilled that I shared.

Happy Monday.

Lagoons and local ruffians.

Hold on to your pants folks.

We've got a lot of ground to cover.

1)  First off, what would life be without the Comment of the Week (COW)?

I submit that life would be exactly the same.

But let us pretend to be excited, shall we?

This week's winner is my darling blogging friend, Joyce, of whom I love dearly.

She wrote:

"Raising hand. I vaguely recall you mentioning those wires a time or two.

The house looks great…Your LJ is a keeper. The white trim is fab. I wouldn’t worry about the beds without frames-it beats bumping your head.

In reading your blog these past few months I feel like I know a few things about you. So here are my wishes for your birthday which must be today and oh, to be 29 again. Sigh. Anyway….

I hope no one pees on anything they shouldn’t pee on on your special day.
I hope no one vomits on anything.
I hope no one breaks and/or loses their glasses on your special day.
I hope you don’t have to make any unprotected left hand turns.
I hope you get coffee with raspberry creamer.
I hope you get a dinner you don’t have to cook.
I hope you get a fabulous dessert.
I hope you get lots of hugs and kisses from your lumberjacklings.
And of course from the LJ too.
I hope you get 100 meaningless points….holla!

Happy Birthday…reading here always makes me smile."

Joyce is a superb blogging friend and a faithful commenter.

Do you write a blog?

Do you want more comments?

Go visit Joyce.

She is splendid.

No pressure, Joyce.

2)  Yes.  I am really 29 and this is the first time I turned 29.

I was born a poor black boy (name that movie) on June 23, 1981.

Fact:  I am not racist.  That is simply a movie quote.  Thank you.

3)  Yes, this is my mother in the picture with us.

Yes, she is pretty.

Yes, she looks young.

My mama turned 50 this week.

Holla, Mama!

Holla!

4) ***GASP!!***

I would like to announce that for the first time since we moved to Ruralville, I felt . . .

bored.

And alone.

So, I loaded up the Lumberjacklings and we headed out on an adventure drive to find a beach.

We were successful.

Little Dude was feeling not-so-brave.

Yet, can we not all agree that he is uber precious, albeit a scaredy-cat?

I guaran-darn-tee you that he was attempting to hit one of his sisters with that there ball.

Hi, Mama!  Were you trying to relax?

Well, I am here to ensure that relaxing will not be happening for you today.

But I will offer you a tasty snack!

Fun Fact:  Little Dude + 400 raisins=9 horrific diapers that would cure anyone of baby fever.

Daisy Mae found the coolest rock.

Ever.

I guaran-darn-tee you she was yelling at a little brother for ruining something she was creating.

And I guaran-darn-tee you they probably deserved it.

Those boys are such naughty-pantsies.

And they can also be precious creatures who melt my heart.

Kids!
Smile for a picture!

Focus, children.

Focus.

Much better!

We had a splendiferous time at the beach.

Truly.

It only took about 15 minutes to get there and we had a blast!

However . . . a dark and stormy cloud soon came upon our delightful day.

Some local ruffians came to the beach and were mean.

Yes.

Mean.

Mean to my children.

One little girl stole my kids floaties.

Seriously-right out of their hands.

A little boy got completely naked. 

We did not know where to put our eyes.

And another girl attacked Daisy Mae while she was swimming and nearly drowned her.

I did not appreciate it one bit.

So . . . our first encounter with the natives of Ruralville was less than ideal.

5)  The Lumberjack made me pull weeds this morning at 0730.

But that is neither here nor there.

6)  Last night, it occurred to me that I have not seen our 20 acres.  So, The Lumberjack felt the need to clear things up for me.

And now, dear readers, I would like to present to you:

Tour de Lumberjack

The Lumberjack hooked a trailer up to his 4-wheeler and took us on a lovely tour of our plantation.

Cozy!

Look at us and our Hillbilly selves!

Complete with dog running down the road with us.

Yes.

We are now those people.

Can you see that fence?

That is our lagoon.

You know.

Where all are septic materials exist.

Thank you, Sir Lumberjack, for the delightful tour.

It was both lovely and informative.

Alright!

That's it!

Farewell!

Wait! One more thing!

I would like a new COW picture.

Does anyone have a picture of a cow they would like to contribute to this silly, as well as pointless, blog?

I would be greatly appreciative.

Toodles!

The Nature Club

I have this friend.

Let's call her . . . Amanda.

Amanda is a wonderful mommy who takes the time to play with her kids and do all sorts of fun activities.

Activities like: painting, crafts, and play dough.

Not so with me.

I am not good with coming up with fun activities, nor am I creative.

Do ya'll recall my "nativity scene" craft?

Why, yes!

I'm glad you asked!

I am an Arts-and-Crafts mastermind.

Look at me and my bad self!

Well.

Needless to say, my kids have been left to their own devices when it comes to the fine arts and creative activities.

And I think they do good.

 

Welcome to "The Nature Club."

The Nature Club is a little clubhouse the girls built yesterday with their friend.

It was hot yesterday.

Daisy Mae found a little hidden space under a tree and the girls got right to work on building a shaded clubhouse.

They used my bike trailer and loaded up things that they wanted for the clubhouse.

It's about time that bike trailer got some use.

Then they hauled it to the tree, unloaded their goods, and returned the trailer to the garage.

There is even a pledge that members of The Nature Club must chant.

You know.

In order to preserve the sanctity of everything the club represents.

To say the pledge, first one must dip their fingers in water . . .

like so.

Then you put two fingers, (never three!) on your chest and recite the pledge.

Nature Club members love to ban little brothers from the clubhouse, eat snacks in the clubhouse, and pose for fabulous photos in the clubhouse.

Yeah.

She's workin' it.

Ooooh-la-la!

And nothing screams nature, serenity, and peace like a picture taken on top of a . . .

propane tank.

Classy!

Happy Friday!

 

 

The Birthday Happenings.

Yesterday.

Yesterday, Yesterday, Yesterday.

It was a busy day.

And, yes.  It was my birthday.

You are looking at the new, and greatly improved, 29-year-old version of Lumberjill.

I woke up to a card and gift card from the Lumberjack.  He usually takes the time to write out something special on occasions such as this.  And I truly appreciate it. 

You see, dear readers, my man is not a man of many words.  So I cling to these cards and am thankful for the written proof that he does, in fact, have a softer side.

The boys woke up first.

Naturally.

Handsome Dude was in his usual, "I HATE MORNINGS AND I HATE YOU AND I WANT MILK BUT FIRST I AM GOING TO SIT ON THE FLOOR AND WAIL AT ALL THE HORROR AND INJUSTICE THAT EXISTS IN MY WORLD" morning mood.

Little Dude was, as usual, indifferent to anything and everything.

Me:  Handsome Dude!  It is my birthday!

Handsome Dude:  No!  Is not!

Me:  Yes!  It is!

Handsome Dude: (crying . . . surprisingly enough) No!  Is my birthday!

Daisy Mae and Sweet Pea woke up with shouts of : "Happy Birthday, Mom!  Dad told us not to forget to tell you!"

Then they brought me up this present from the whole family:

It was a new, more comfortable seat for my bike.

Daisy Mae:  It's for your butt!

*giggle, giggle, laugh, laugh, giggle, giggle*

Then . . . it was time to start my busy day.

For starters, I had to please my man and use the small, more gas-friendly Honda Accord.

This is not an enjoyable ride with the number of kids I have to cram into the vehicle to make the trip to town.

Fun Fact:  Yesterday was the hottest day of the year in wherever-it-is-we-dwell-ville.

Even Funner Fact:  The air conditioning in the Honda does not work very well.

Attention my Ford Excursion: 

Please forgive me for not liking you very much the day my Lumberjack brought you into our lives.  I admit it.  I loathed you when I thought of parallel parking you.  I hated the fact that you made me plug you in when you were cold . . . you fickle, fickle beast.

But I take it all back.  You are roomy.  You are welcoming.  You have air conditioning.  If the kids are fighting . . . I cannot hear them.  For they are so, so, so far away.

I need you in my life.

First we went to Little Dude's 2 year check up.

Little Dude can get . . . particular.

He does not like to be touched, looked at, smiled at, spoken to, and, definitely, he does not like to be weighed.

But really.

Who does?

I was afraid that they were going to make me get weighed along with him like last time.

But nurse Heather, who is the bomb-diggity, worked her magic and weighed him without yours truly having to step on the scale.

Holla, Heather!

Holla!

Next, we had some time to kill before meeting the renters.  So, we went to my dear friend, Amanda's, house for lunch.

She bought me my favorite lunch for a birthday surprise.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddddd . . . .I love her.

Got the call.  Met the renters.  They did not throw tomatoes at me, so hopefully they like it.  Drove through a stand for coffee. 

Can we not all agree that coffee is ridiculously priced?

  Went to Costco.  Started loathing errands.  Bought my life-savings-worth of diapers. 

Can we not all agree that diapers are ridiculously priced?

Sweating.  Kids fighting.  Sweating.  Boys pulling girls hair.  Girls screaming.  Sweating.  Fighting.

Good times.

Broke into my parent's house . . . for we needed somewhere to go.  Handsome Dude was naughty.  I sent him to lay on a bed.  He wailed for 23 minutes that his feet were cold.

May I remind you that it was about 89 degrees.

I think not, Handsome Dude.

I

think

not.

Attention Handsome Dude: 

You cannot break me. 

Yes.  I may grow weak and annoyed with your 3-year-old fits of fury and despair.  But I am your mom.  And it is my duty to teach you that you cannot hit your sisters in the head with large sticks.  Nor can you chase them with dog poo or pee on my washing machine.  So, plead all you want.  But, may I remind you that your efforts are in vain.

Took the boys to my in-laws.  Met The Lumberjack and my parents for dinner.

And then we went to see Toy Story 3!

I have been waiting for this moment ever since I won that blog contest awhile ago.  I have saved my winnings knowing that I had to take my girls to see this movie.

Have you seen it?

Have you seen it?

One word:  Ken.

Then we had to drive for over an hour to get home.

What an exhausting, yet lovely day.

Now.

When it is my children's birthdays, I always share with you their life verse that we picked out for them.

To the best of my knowledge, my parents never picked one out for me.  But if I were to choose one, I would pick Lamentations 3:22-23:

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness."

However.

If I were to find a verse that was more fitting to my life, more reflective, if you will, of my life's happenstances, I might choose this one:

"As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on earth and increase upon it."

Genesis 9:7.

Increase in number?

Be fruitful?

Check.

If that were my life's verse, I have a feeling that when I get to Heaven, the Lord would say to me,

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Alright.

That's all.

Happy Thursday!

Twenty-Nine.

Wednesday is here.

Wednesday.  The day the first of our *hopefully* many vacation renters will come and stay at our little house.

I will feel nervous until after I meet the renters and hand them their key, but there is a nice sense of relief seeing as how there is really not much more I can do at this point.

Interruption:  Are you feeling confused?  Are you wondering what on earth this "so-called Lumberjill" is blabbing on and on about?  Click here to catch up.  Thank you.

After 7, yes SEVEN years of horrific remodeling nonsense, our 100-year-old house is finally finished.

Kind of.

Sort of.

But really super close.

So, on this the 23rd day of the month of June in the year Two-Thousand-and-Ten of our Lord, I, yes, I, Taylor Mal-a-blah-blah would like to present to you:

The House The Lumberjack Built.

May I remind you that he built this house for yours truly, yet did not finish it 10 days after we moved out.  I am not upset.  I am just pointing out the facts.

First . . . a reminder of just how far we have come on this journey.

And the end result:

Master Bedroom.

With the down comforter that was inappropriately dried and we sincerely hope no one will notice.

Interruption:  Did not my Lumberjack do a nice job with trim in the house?  I submit that there is nothing better than white trim lining everything.

My Lumberjack.

He did it all for me.

*tear*

Bedroom 2:  The boys old room.

I had to wash those walls something fierce.

Dirty fingerprints.

Everywhere.

Boys are dirty.

Who knew?!

Bedroom 3:  The girls old room.

No wall scrubbing necessary.

Now, this room is stressing me out.

Do not the beds look . . . tiny?

But herein lies the problem:  If you have beds on frames in that room, when you sit up in bed, you smack your head on the dormers.

Yet, I cannot put beds over here because:

A)  With the closet door, the wall length is not long enough.

B)  On the opposite wall, there is a heater and I fear that if a guest is cold and therefore turns on the heat, their bed might catch fire.

And that would not be ideal.

We might get a less-than-perfect visitor review if that event were to occur.

Hallway!

Chair rail!

Go, Lumberjack!

Upstairs bathroom.

Fun Fact:  When we bought this house, it did not have an upstairs bathroom.

My Lumberjack is awesome like that.

Hands off, girls!

Get your own Lumberjack-Electrician-Hunter-Home-Remodeler Guy!

Fun Fact:  When we bought this house The Lumberjack and I estimated it would cost about $8000 to remodel it.

Even Funner Fact: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The Funnest Fact:  We have spent a significant amount more than that.

The Obvious Fact:  The Lumberjack and I are idiots.

Dining Room/Living Room.

Hello, my lovely black, big table!

I miss you!

Return to me!

Holy Lighting!

Can anyone tell that my husband is an electrician?

Beautiful!

Gorgeous!

Wish I could have used it!

Raise your hand if you recall me complaining about the wires for the under-cabinet lighting poking me in the eyes while I cooked mediocre meals for my family?

Remember this photo?

Well, I think my Lumberjack is feeling a bit nostalgic . . . and spunky.

Because look at what he left unfinished:

Do you see it?

Do you see it?

There is one little light unit that has yet to be installed.

Yet, I would like to announce that he did take the time to replace all of the exterior door hinges.

Apparently those were more noticeable.

Lumberjacks are weird.

The Laundry Room.

With the broken, yet still useable, washing machine.

So there you have it!

It's all done!

Except for that one light, the washing machine repair, a little bit of touch up paint throughout the house, the porch needs to be painted, and the garage needs to be torn down and rebuilt.

But, we'll call it good for now.

Hey, Lumberjack!

We remodeled a 100-year-old house!

Look at us and our bad selves!

Or, more accurately:  Look at The Lumberjack and his bad self!

For I know not the difference between a Rotozip and a Sawzall.

I merely clean up after his messes.

If I had a nickel for every time I have scrubbed paint out of the sink and swept sheet rock dust off of the floor . . .

Alright!

Wish me luck with the renters!

Oh, and 100 (meaningless) points to anyone who can guess what other event is occurring today.

Toodles!