Turtle vs. Hare

Phase I of Get Ready to Put your House on the Market is nearing the end (Oh. My. Goodness.) In the past few weeks, our tasks have included: hang new back door; cut, paint and hang door molding and baseboards; take down bathroom wallpaper (lots of explicatives); prime, paint, tile, grout, and caulk bathroom; completely remove all items from basement and basically displace into garage; paint basement walls, stairs and floor; fix leak in bathroom; buy and put in new "staging" furniture and pictures; replace window; and strip horrible, toxic glue from basement stairs (whose fumes apparently seeped into my neighbor's basement as well). Thanks so much to our saviors, Kim, Tom, Joe Joe, and our parents. You are our home heroes. Still left to do (before tomorrow): finish painting bathroom, lay flooring in 2 rooms. Phase II includes immense purging of items and cleaning of floors, carpets, toilets, etc. I need a massage, a really good meal and a loooong nap. OK, I'll hold out until next week.

Irish eyes are smilin'

I didn't blog for St. Paddy's Day--which is practically sacreligious--but last Friday I attended a meeting in preparation for my trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. We were treated to traditional music, shortbread, Irish tea and chocolate; now I am just busting at the seams ready to go. Then I perused Erin's pictures from our Ireland trip--in which I thought I might pee my pants--so I thought this was fitting. Corey and I went out for our green beer, and the local establishment was actually playing a live Irish broadcast. Our friend Joe managed to get through to the US 800-number and had his St. Paddy's Day dedication played on Irish radio. Shout out to all my Irish lassies!

Peacemaker

Last week my friend Jen and I had the great pleasure of going to see Greg Mortenson, who is on a national book tour for his NY Times bestseller, Three Cups of Tea. He spoke to a packed auditorium and received a standing ovation before he even gave his presentation. We read this book for book club, and not everyone was really that jazzed about it. Yes, the writing was a bit disconnected due to its retelling, but the message of the text is really powerful. He also mentioned several other grassroots organizations whose contributions are immeasureable to women and children in these countries. Every teacher in America should try and make it to his presentation! He is well-spoken and has strong opinions about how to improve the quality of life based on his personal experiences. It kind of puts the stressors we face in everyday life kind of insignificant.

Home beautification: mock 10

Well, it's time to put the pedal to the metal. We have committed to our listing agent of having our house ready to be listed by April 1. I know more or less it will be several consecutive days of lots of painting, sanding, and various other forms of elbow grease, but I'm kind of freaking out. And there are just two humans who live in our house. I can't imagine people with large families trying to do this. Basically each night we are trying to start/accomplish one major project and just keep moving through the list. Then I'm sure that's when the waiting begins! A lot of recent home sellers/buyers said it's the constant hurry up and wait. Thanks for your advice so far! Here we go...

Feeling loved

This weekend was great as I got to celebrate my birthday with lots of people I love. Also, I can't believe how many times I got a treasure or a card, reminding myself how thoughtful my friends and family are and how thankful I am. Thanks for making it so special! Monday night my parents had us over for teriyaki steak, twice-baked potatoes and mom's new famous flourless chocolate cake (made with garbanzo beans!). I brought the remnants into work the next day and no one could believe it was actually good for you. (I am digging for the recipe, but I know for sure it's from Bette Hagman's Gluten Free Gourmet). My co-workers and I went out for lunch on Friday, then CR, Shandiz, Corey and I went out for dinner that night. We met up with Joe, Em, Aaron, Lenae, CB and Jodi for some bowling. We had a great time. Saturday was CR's bridal shower and it was great to celebrate at Melissa's uber-cool Victorian house. (The flourless cake also made a successful appearance). By Saturday night, the proverbial truck had hit me and the bragging about not being sick had evaporated. I've been chugging down tea and using my Neti pot, so I'm hoping for a quicker recovery.

Fashion's finale

Can I just say that the final episode of Project Runway was much anticipated in our house. CR and Shandiz came over to watch it, since they are visiting for the week, and I even made apps and served wine for the occasion. We had a consensus going that it would have either been Jillian or Rami. But wha??? We were in utter disbelief that Christian won. First of all, he's young. Second of all, no one human being needs to fierce so much. Third, I'm not sure how much the bird feather garmet would transfer to real life.

Friends movin' on up

I got tidbits of great professional accomplishments from three friends this week:

CB's new job posting mentioned in the Washington Post; Anne's being named one of the top 25 up-and-coming MN lawyers; and Liz's work for the Diaper Drive, as a member The Minnesota Perinatal HIV Program at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of MN.

Congratulations, ladies! Way to go!

wonderful women + warm weather

This past weekend, Liz, Kat, Annastasia and I flew down to KC to see Janell and Ryker. We were so lucky to visit during the heat wave! Most of the time we were there it was 65-70 F. Just being outside without a jacket, drinking up the sun was heaven (especially when I drove home going 45 mph on the horrible, icy roads). It was so wierd to think Ryker is already 4 months old and we just met him. Friday night we met up with some of Kat's friends for dinner. Saturday we convinced Janell to get a new haircut (which turned out great : ) and we headed to a BBQ at her friend's house. I'm really glad we were able to spend a few days together, to catch up, to play with the little ones, and to relax. We also got to see Anne in the Cities for dinner before we left. My stomach hurt from laughing for 3 hours! Thanks for a great weekend, girls!