Smells

Update. So you can sleep better. Honestly not more than 10 minutes after I posted about the odd smell in the house Daniel called with good news. As he was looking for the filter in the furnace he came across an open box of MOTH BALLS. That smell was permeating the entire house!! It was horrible! He told me that as soon as he took it out there was a noticeable improvement in the house's smell! Why on earth would anyone have those things!? Anyway, we are both incredibly relieved as the smell was nauseating. (We still have the occasional area with its own scent, but I figure those will fade in time.) So now if you are with me and I have an odor, well, I have a problem.

Lately

I just wanted to say hi before we turned the computer off for a few days. I took pictures of the house--inside and out--but I don't have the camera with me. I know, I'm making you all wait. Sorry!

A friend of ours who is a contractor has been painting the inside of the house this and last week--it looks so beautiful! Especially compared to the dingy, dirty state it was in before. Wow. I've learned that picking colors is hard. There are way too many shades of brown, white, basically anything out there. And it's true, you really have to see it on the wall in the space it's going to be in before you know for sure (so get samples!). Light changes everything. And try not to have to paint your whole house at once. :)

We are cleaning like crazy (with much help from friends) to be clean, but also to try to get a weird smell out. Some say it's smoke, moth balls, old people smell, or what have you. It didn't smell like this much at all when we looked at it!! But something happened between the offer and the walk-through--ug!! (Perhaps the moving of furniture/stuff brought it up?) It's getting a little better with the paint coverage, and should improve with carpet replacement/cleaning. Perhaps duct cleaning. But I don't know, I worry. Please be nice if I'm near you and I have an odor.

It's crunch time with packing at the apartment now. Starting to look bare. Starting to feel real. Somehow when you feel like you're getting it all done, you look and there's a whole new area to pack that you hadn't noticed.

Kids have mixed emotions for sure. Excitement to frustration. Sometimes they (A and A) are mad that we are taking them away from friends who live in the building. They love having them only 5 inches away. Daniel and I, however, don't. It's interesting to realize that this type of living is normal for them, but for Daniel and I it's this temporary less-than-desired state. A house and yard and privacy is normal. Hopefully they love the house and adapt to the friend thing. Eliza, however, is more than excited about it altogether. So that is nice.

I guess that's all for now. I promise there will be some before and after pictures as soon as the dust settles.

I sparkle.

Yep, it's true. From two places on my head. It's called grey hair.

I found the first one just after I turned 30. When I lumbered into the bedroom to show Daniel, he smiled and sweetly said, "I know, I saw it a couple weeks ago." When I stared at that thing in the bathroom, it was the first time in my life I really truly realized I was going to die someday. You mean I can't escape it?

Now I have two. I pulled them out a couple months ago, but of course they're back. To stay. Embrace the sparkle.

Pinewood Derby!

Andrew and Daniel worked so hard on this awesome car. Daniel did lots of little tricks to make this baby cruise.Here are the girls and I at the races...thank goodness for lemonade, cookies, and derby bingo.
Andrew experienced a variety of intense emotions as his car came in first, second, and fourth twice. But because the places are determined by time and by age group, Andrew ended up with a ribbon! 2nd place in the Bears! True elation!