I'm getting ready for Noelle's birthday party tomorrow. It's the first friend birthday party she's ever had. We are always in Chicago or Tampa on her actual birthday, so it's just never happened before. Now she is old enough to care, and has been talking about her party for at least 6 months. She has wanted a beach party, a princess party, a dance party, and so many other variations I can't remember. We've decided on a hula hoop party, details will come tomorrow after it's over!

Cleaning is honestly one of my favorite things to do. It gives me a sense of control and accomplishment to have a room look just like I want, to get rid of a big pile of clutter, to wipe down a messy counter. When I was in high school, I remember many parties where I maybe felt slighted by a boy or a friend (most likely a boy) and headed to the host's kitchen and started washing dishes. I'd go around and collect all the plastic cups and empty plates in a trash bag, put away the game pieces in their respective boxes, and start putting food away. That was my way of gaining back some control, bringing order to what I saw as a messy situation.

Maybe it's not good that I use cleaning to override feelings of neglect. I suppose there are probably better ways to deal with those feelings, but I know there are plenty of worse ways, too! I still use this method a lot, but it's much more difficult with kids under foot messing everything up right after you've cleaned it. Which is why yesterday I started with the office to get ready for the party. The kids are never in there to play. So, no one go in there until Saturday afternoon!

Andy mentioned that we were finally able to do some work on our yard, which had been desperately needing attention since we moved in 4 1/2 years ago. Even moreso since we dumped two truck loads of dirt onto it several years ago meaning to do some landscaping, but then Andy's car engine died and ate up our budget. Ever since then we've had a lovely little hill in our yard, but no more! Now we have beautiful grass coming up, and we couldn't be happier. We can't wait until we're able to use the yard. Noelle asks every few days if she can run in the yard yet. Almost, sweet girl! And you won't even trip over all the random holes anymore.

See before and after pictures of our yard here. We'll be sure to take more pictures when all the grass has come in!

Ours are all currently sopping wet. All of them. I woke up about 30 minutes ago to the sound of rushing water, immediately woke up Andy, and soon heard him use a word reserved for pretty bad stuff. All the lights were still off, so I was pretty confused. I ran out toward the kitchen, and soon realized he hadn't turned the light on because the water was pouring out from the light fixture. Kitchen - flooded. Office - getting there. Andy rushed outside to get our biggest bucket and threw it under the leak, and I rushed to get our towels. Andy called Robin upstairs to check out the situation, told her he'd be right up.

Meanwhile I'm down here pushing around all of our soaking wet towels trying to manage some of this water on our newly refinished floor and our newly installed cabinets. When Andy comes back down, he tells me it's some water filter under Robin's sink that has apparently cracked, but the water is turned off now so the leak should be slowing down. It does, fortunately, but now it's raining from the ceiling a bit in the office and the kitchen. Awesome. This will probably go on for a while longer, as all the water finds its way out through our ceiling. Hey, at least we hadn't repaired the drywall yet from the huge leak we had a few years ago! There's always an upside, right?

Andy thinks he can fix the plumbing issue himself, hopefully it doesn't turn into a big expense along with this big mess. We have it contained now, except for what is still dripping out of the ceiling, of course. The kitchen light doesn't work, so we'll have to figure out what the situation is there in the morning. All I can say is, thank God that Noelle has school tomorrow. And that she is somehow still asleep through all of the commotion. I'm going back to bed.

Sort of. The Corian people are coming this afternoon with a 37" piece of countertop, and that's the last piece to install. Well, besides the shelves for the upper part of the pantry that somehow didn't get ordered. However, there are still a few things that need fixing. Our installer told us he's been doing this work for 34 years, and we've decided he's apparently been doing it poorly for just as long. We had to point out crooked cabinet doors, pantry drawers that wouldn't pull out, and a few other small things. After he left we realized there were a lot more completely unacceptable mistakes. Screws that went through the edge of the wood, an entire cabinet that isn't level, a random piece of plywood visible behind the refrigerator. They'll just have to keep coming back until it's right.

Another fun mistake they made has left us without power to our computers, home phone, and washer all weekend. They had to install a new outlet for the refrigerator, and in the process cut off power to those other outlets. We don't blame them, we blame the completely random wiring of this house. Why would outlets in the kitchen, office, and utility room all be on the same circuit? Because the electrician was high, that's all I can think of. I suppose our installer might have noticed that the line he was tapping into wasn't just a single line, but he didn't. Of course not. A funny coincidence - the guy who was here to help with the install, who did the wiring, used to work for the company who installed our HVAC system when we moved here 4 years ago. Andy started to tell him how to get to the crawlspace, and he said, "I already know, I've been down there." Crazy.

On a side note, it's hard to believe we've been here 4 years this month! Happy Anniversary, house! I'll post pictures of the kitchen after it's closer to satisfactory for us.

We are currently in the process of renovating our kitchen, which we are very excited about because our old cabinets and countertop left a lot to be desired. I packed up everything from the cabinets on Tuesday before we left for Atlanta, and the contractors came out yesterday morning to get started. When you start a big project like this, you expect to live without a few conveniences for a while. However, as with any home repair, several things came up that we just weren't expecting. Some, even, that we were told to expect one thing and actually got another.

First of all, when they unhooked the sink yesterday, there was a small dripping leak that they couldn't get someone out to fix until today, so we had to go all day and night without water. Andy turned it on for a bit when he got home so I could take a shower (because I didn't get to take one before they got here) and so Robin could get some water for cooking her dinner. This morning I skipped a shower because they said they'd be done around 10 and I figured I'd shower when they left. They left at 11:15, and silly me, I forgot to check that they had turned my water back on. They hadn't. So I sit here again, unshowered and feeling disgusting.

We were also told that they would rig our sink up so that we could use it while we wait the week or so for our countertops to be made, but when I mentioned that to them today they didn't know anything about it. I could do without the sink, but the dishwasher I need! Especially since I forgot to run it before going to Atlanta and had to unload dirty dishes into a laundry basket when the guys got here Thursday morning. And there they sit, dirty in my dining room. I guess I can wash them in the tub.

When the countertop guys got here about 30 minutes ago, they noticed that the cabinet guys had put the spacer between the corner and the dishwasher about an inch farther out from the wall than the cabinets on the other side of the dishwasher. Those need to be flush for the countertop to work.

Hopefully the project manager will return my call soon and send someone out to turn on my water, and the cabinet guys will come back Monday to finish the trim and fix their spacer mistake, and hook up my sink, and within a week or two all will be right again in my kitchen. Maybe we should have had my dad do the cabinets after all!

One of the joys of owning a home is being responsible for fixing things that need fixing.

Case in point...we have a stone retaining wall in our side yard that prevents our neighbor's yard, and pool, from merging with our crawlspace. When we had the home inspected, our guy told us to keep an eye on it. So for the last 2+ years, everytime I mowed the yard, I'd eyeball the wall to see if it was okay.

Over the last 6 months I've been noticing that it seems to have bulged slightly and I started getting concerned. I don't particularly care for our bedroom to have pool in the middle of it. So I've been asking people how I would go about finding out who "owned" the wall. I mean, if it's on the border of my property, then it's also on the border of someone else's property right?

So I took Noelle out to walk in the front yard yesterday. We were out there for a few minutes when I looked over and saw a complete disaster (see attached picture). Apparently all of the rain we've had recently piled up behind the wall and just caused it to totally collapse. It's only about a 10-12 foot section but it's demolished.

So, what I've got to find out is:
1) Who is responsible for fixing this
2) If we're responsible, does homeowners insurance cover this?
3) What sort of company do I even call to look at this and fix it?

And to top it all off, I'm going out of town for 5 days. Luckily, the insurance company has my cell number. Gotta love owning a home right?

We've had squirrels taking up residency in our ceilings and attic space on and off since we've moved in, and Andy has already filled in two holes where we thought they might be getting in to keep them from invading. We haven't heard them in the ceilings for quite some time, so thought we had the problem taken care of, but Andy recently found evidence that they have been in the attic above the garage. Where our stuff is stored.

Today, he heard some scurrying while walking out to the carport and realized there was a place he hadn't been aware of that was giving them access. After pulling a board off the front of the carport, we found what we thought might have been a nest - a mess of pine needles, leaves and other debris. And then amidst the debris we found it. A nut. A pecan in fact. This was definitely the doings of a family of squirrels, and now we've got them right where we want them.

This morning we woke up to this lovely sight out of our massive picture window in the living room. SNOW! Finally, for the first time this winter. Well, we've had "flurries" before, but nothing that even really landed on the ground. Andy was very excited, as he's been looking forward to snow all season. We didn't have any in Chicago for Christmas, and he was beginning to think that he wouldn't see any at all this year.

All the schools in the area are closed today, and some people are taking off of work so they don't have to drive in these hazardous conditions. For those of you in my home state of Illinois - no, it's not deeper than it looks. It's just about an inch of snow, maybe two. This kind of snow in Illinois wouldn't change anyone's day. I frequently had to walk several blocks to the bus stop in 4 or more inches of snow (uphill both ways).

There are a variety of factors that cause Nashville to go crazy when it snows. One, it doesn't happen very often so they don't have much of a budget for cleanup. Two, it's pretty hilly and that does make for some slippery roads. Three, these people don't even know how to drive well in heavy rain, so snow is too much to handle. And finally, the schools just want to take some snow days, darn it!

We're still recovering from Noelle being sick, so we probably won't be going out today. (She did sleep all night again last night though!!) Hopefully I can at least bring her out to touch the snow and see what it's like. It will most likely be gone by Monday!

Well apparently, all along it's been the oven's fault. We noticed that our oven seems to cook things faster than the directions usually call for, and sometimes we compensate for that with a shorter cooking time or a lower temperature. But today I bought us an oven thermometer, one that sits in your oven and reads the actual temperature inside. I had the oven set to 400? to cook our chicken nuggets. I peeked inside near the end of the cooking time, and expected that the thermometer might read as much as 425?, but no. It was 500?! WHAT!

So I thought okay, that's ridiculous, but maybe it's off by more when the oven is so hot. Let's turn it down to 200? and see what happens. That experiment turned out better, if you call being 50? off better. Before we did the experiment, Andy said that if it was more than 25-50? off we would get a new oven.

Anyone want to buy us an oven? TLC, the DIY Network, Food TV, do you hear us? We need a kitchen makeover! A girl has got to be able to bake herself some brownies!

For probably almost 3 months now, we have had some uninvited guests in our house. They have been creating quite a ruckus the entire time they've been here, and they have even destroyed some property. Why haven't we kicked them out yet? Just when we think we've had all we can take, they quiet down and we almost forget they are here. But they haven't left, and today one of them drew the last straw. He came into our personal living space and almost scared me to death.

At 7:15 AM today, Andy was out making breakfast and I was in bed with Noelle trying to fall back asleep. I heard a noise that for a moment sounded like Andy pouring cereal, but soon realized it was much more than that. I called out to Andy asking for confirmation of my suspicion, and he didn't respond. I called again, "ANDY - WHAT WAS THAT!?!?!?"

I then heard the bathroom door close quickly, and Andy came into the bedroom. He sheepishly told me that what I have suspected for a long time finally happened. One of the uninvited guests made its way into our house.

It was a bird. They've been living in the chimney for some time, but with the flue closed, we thought we were safe. A few weeks ago, though, Andy tried to smoke them out by lighting a fire in the fireplace, and apparently forgot to close the flue. So this morning, Andy heard the fluttering noise just like I did, and looked out into the living room to see a bird flying around our house. It started to make its way down the hall, and lucky for Andy, it headed straight into the bathroom. Let me tell you, if that thing had come into my bedroom, I would be a widow today.

He trapped it in the bathroom, got a trash bag and scooped it up and took it outside. I made sure he checked for any droppings, and he cleaned some off the window sill.

So, I'm sorry to say, our guests have got to go. TODAY. Andy will be calling someone today to take care of not only the birds, but also their squirrel friends that have been living in our ceilings. I've had it. They are out, or I am.

I realized we haven't posted any pictures of the nursery yet. This is a picture Andy took for the beard contest, but it shows the really cool trees we painted with the help of our friend Stephen and inspiration from Readymade Magazine.

It's certainly a time to rejoice - my last day of work is tomorrow! It could not have come any sooner, because I am really done with the day to day routine of it all. I'm ready for a new routine. From now until baby day, I'll spend my days sleeping in, cleaning the house, taking naps, Christmas shopping, taking more naps, and relaxing. I know the time is going to fly by, and before I know it, my routine will be all about the baby.

We are leaving tomorrow after work for Brazil, IN to spend Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law's parent's house, along with my family. It was a closer drive for us, which is still a bit longer than I'm looking forward to. We will just have to take a lot of breaks! We will be there through Friday afternoon.

I have scheduled a prenatal massage for myself on Saturday afternoon, and I am so excited about it. I got a gift certificate for it when I first learned I was pregnant from my mother-in-law, and I can finally use it! What a great way to start my maternity leave.

We are having the garage drywalled this week, and it is very close to being done. It looks great. It will be nice to have a heated laundry room this winter, for sure. Andy did a ton of work to prepare for the drywall to be done, and I'm so proud of him for it! He can be very handy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend my parents came to Nashville to help us build a fence for the dogs. Well, and to see their pregnant daughter. While the "boys team" worked on the fence, the "girls team" made curtains, all the meals, and one of us worked on growing a baby! It's hard to tell who had the tougher job. I'll post some pictures of the fence, and my growing belly, as soon as possible. I guess I just forget that we should be taking pictures of me, because I see myself every day and don't notice the gradual changes. Some days I feel like I am showing so much, and then I realize how big I am going to get in the next 4 months.

The dogs don't understand the fence concept yet. We let them out the side door, and they run out to the yard for a second but then come back and wait on the patio. It's like they are thinking, "Aren't you going to come out with us? We can't be alone!" But yes, boys, you can be alone now. Hopefully they will start to get it soon. They are too funny.

All the pictures from our NY trip are finally up and ready for your viewing pleasure in the New York City section. I know, it's been torture for you to wait. I am really glad we were able to take this trip together to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. I know that trips will happen after Baby Matthews graces us with his/her presence, but not in the same caliber for a good while. Next pregnancy, though, maybe we'll consider somewhere that constant walking isn't required.

Now that we're back home, we are attacking some home projects. This week we're working on the bathroom, which has been in a state of disrepair for quite some time. Renovation projects really snowball on you. We wanted to remove the tile from the walls and fix the drywall, but to do that properly we needed to take out the vanity, mirror, and toilet. And we might as well replace the vanity while we're at it. AND since everything is up off the floor, we should take out the cracked and nasty tile and replace it, too. When we took the mirror off the wall, we found a gaping hole behind it with a handwritten note, "Renovated in 1968." So that's the year that someone thought it was cool to put fall leaves on your bathroom countertop and snowflake tiles in the shower. Hmm.

So enjoy the pictures, and let us know what you're up to! Oh, and for all of you who are dads, happy Father's Day this weekend!