Why yes, I am running a shelter here

A neighbor brought over this puppy, thinking that it was ours. We went up and down the street, but no one's claimed it.

She's cute and everything, but she looks like she's going to be big. And hairy. I'm thinking Border Collie-Chow.


She's pretty cute...Her fur is a really interesting shade of red-black. If I could keep the fur without the puppy, I totally would.

Pretty like a Mirror...Into your Soul...Of DOOM.

Alright, here it is, the finished product! Thank you thank you thank you, Mr & Mrs Sister! I can't even describe the warm glow I feel whenever I look at my shiny new floor. The stain finally dried, we slapped some polyurethane on and moved right in! After we unstuck the kids, we realized that we probably should have waited until it had dried, too. (kidding)



Just, you know...Try to imagine Swiper out of the picture.



Ooooooooh.



These pictures don't really show the kind of high-powered, tooth-shattering gloss that you can see in real life; It's very pretty, very antique-y.

And in case anyone was wondering about that horrible smell in the dining room, yesterday Swiper went under the house and came out with a desiccated, malodorous, petrified, & partially masticated feline corpsicle. He generously offered to share it with me.


Anyway, the smell's gone, and in case any of you were wondering, no I did not get a picture. Although now that I think of it, that would have been cool. Maybe I'll go dig it out of the trash tomorrow.

Also, in case any of you were wondering, you can put chalkboard paint on an Altoid tin.



I can't wait to put up the chalkboard mural in the girl's room; I can't decide between a pony shape and a flower shape, but either way it will be unbelievably cool.

The Demolition Begins

My favorite older sister is in town, and is graciously assisting me in tearing up my floor. By assisting, of course I mean she and Mr. Sister are tearing up the floor while I nurse the baby for eight hours or so. Anyway, here's what happened.
First, there was carpet.


And then there was none. Notice, if you will, the strange resemblance this tile bears to those 'Learn-to-Dance' mats they used to sell.


The dancing tile was laid down over particle board sheets over an even older layer of linoleum. The whole thing was screwed, I repeat, SCREWED to the wood floor. There were also a few random patches of what appear to be upholstery tacks nailed into the floor for no apparent reason.
While Mr. Sister crowbar'ed the carpet tacks out of the floor, we ripped up strips of particle board and linoleum.


Then we went through and removed screws. Thousands and thousands of screws. Many jokes were made, and one screwdriver was broken.


Then we swept it clean and hopefully I'll finish ironing off the last of linoleum glue. We got a ton accomplished today, and I'm so frikkin' giddy about the whole thing. I can see my floor, and it's bee-utiful.

Not sick, but still can't catch a break.

Well, thanks to everyone's prayers and massive doses of echinacea & yerba root, I have not come down with the stomach-eating infection. The oldest is fully recovered, although the younger two are still experiencing some random lingering bowel ejections. It's been really cold the past few days, so we picked everybody up and moved to the inlaws until it warms up. And I thought taking care of kids with a stomach virus at MY house was bad.
The good news is, the MIL recently replaced wall-to-wall carpet with hardwood floors, so I don't have to worry about clean up too much; just wipe and go.
Anyway, it looks like we'll be here till Monday.
Stay warm, people.

The bi-directional output stomach virus hits

Today started pretty good.
A nice cool walk in the drizzly gray, some hot coffee waiting at home. We had breakfast, did laundry, had lunch, did laundry...And then it hit. About one O'clock, the body fluids and semi-solids started flying, every five minutes a new eruption, and it didn't let up until SEVEN.
All three girls, totally miserable. Every blanket and pair of pajamas we own, in the washpile. The couch, the carpet, EVERYTHING is soaked.
The good news is, the dryer has been running non-stop, so we have a very comfortable level of warmth and humidity going. I may be puking my guts out tomorrow, but by god, my pores look FABULOUS.

They are now burrowed under the covers in my bed, totally exhausted and hopefully sleeping. I sigh loudly every now and then, to remind Mr. Legs how much I've suffered. He brought canned soup home so I wouldn't have to cook, and Dr. Pepper without being asked. He's a good guy.

Never Google "Wood Stripper"

Well, I finally started. While Mr. Legs was passed out in a Nyquil-induced coma, I ripped up the carpet in the dining room. Swiper Decided to vomit all over it this morning and the shampooer just wasn't cutting it.

There was (is) quite a bit of raggedy linoleum around the perimeter of the room, but the wood is smooth, tight grained, and a warm red color. Here's what corner #1 looked like right after I pried the wooden tack strips up:


I used a damp rag and the iron to loosen up the linoleum goo, then scraped it off with a spackle knife. Here's what I have now:


There's quite a bit of water damage all over the floor, but there aren't any huge gaps or loose boards. It's still a nice solid floor, which is what I hoped would be. Cleaning will take awhile, but it's nice to feel connected to this house, instead of furious at it. Finally, a NICE surprise.

Big Shopping

Waking up on shopping day is like waking up the day of a marathon; filled with fear, self-doubt, and a strong urge to chicken out.
It's not pretty on a good day, herding four kids through Sam's club, then Walmart, then HEB. Today it took me an hour to find an alternate route because some jackass decided they would close EVERY SINGLE ON RAMP to the 10 west.

The first stop must always be the bathroom. Try manuvering a cart full of children through one of those stupid little mazes that are so popular now without running into the blue-hairs that enjoy lurking around every corner and you'll understand what I mean. Potty everyone, make sure all toilets are flushed, all hands are washed, then inch your way back out the latrinarynth. Now you're ready to go.
Bypass the candy aisle. Pick up the baby. Dodge young couples who somehow manage to block the entire aisle while picking out a 40lb jar of cheezy poofs. Compare price per ounce of diced potatos vs. diced potatos w/ chile pepper. Watch out for the 3 foot asian granny who can't see over her cart but refuses to go less than 80 miles an hour. Grab a bag of craisins. Pull a kid out of the path of a fork lift. complain loudly that bread prices have gone up a dollar.

But at the end of the day, when the kids are recuperating in front of a movie, and the toilet paper has been stacked into a perfect geometrical pyramid under the bathroom sink, I am filled with joy and satisfaction, like a squirrel who knows exactly where her nuts are.

I shopped REALLY WELL today. I finally left behind the expensive packages of individually canned vegetables($6) and went for the economy sized restaraunt vats($2). I bought 15 dozen eggs instead of planning to buy another four dozen next week. My box of powdered milk is chilling in the fridge, ready at a moment's notice. Truly, my cupboards overfloweth.

Thanks for teaching me, Mom.