A little bit of this...a little bit of that

Some random weirdness:

1. Milk is about $4.85 PER GALLON here in the Midwest. That's right, I said per gallon. I paid less than that for two gallons in San Diego (which is the mother of all expensive cities). That means we are spending at least $20 PER WEEK on milk. Seriously. What do all of you pay for a gallon of milk? Why, what with all the free space out here, do we pay so much for milk? Could they not throw some cows in the empty fields and save us all a few dollars? Does the milk come from little precious cows eating truffle oil omelets and sipping Evian with their pinkies in the air? Please tell me there is some good reason why I am paying so much for the milk. Otherwise, the children might be asked to stop growing so their little bones don't need so much calcium. Either that I have to give up the diet coke. And that just ain't happening.
   
   
2. If I have tried to call your house in the last five days, it really is me. Not Dupgya Samenieni like the caller ID says. Hopefully the phone company got it all straightened out. That's what they tell me anyway. Sure, they have been wrong before. But like always, I believe them THIS time.
   
   
3. Whoever invented wallpaper should be tied to the nearest tree and jabbed repeatedly with a pointy stick. Or at least whoever puts it in the homes that I purchase ought to be. WHY, WHY, WHY would you put up wallpaper? I think if you have ever had to remove it, you never, ever put it up. I will have pictures coming of the master bathroom (where I removed the bedeviled wallpaper) once I get it all painted. My poor fingers are just too ragged tonight from the removal that took way more time than it should have. (And yes, I was even using the paper tiger. Ugh.)
   
   
4. We had a huge thunderstorm blow in this afternoon. It was pretty impressive. Having spent the last year living in the coastal desert where it rains like once every five years, it's been a while since I've seen rain like that. I was pretty entertained. The children were extremely frightened (which added slightly to my entertainment).
   
   
5. And have you seen THIS blog? If you haven't done so yet, get yourself right on over there and take a look at her latest recipe. I have six words for you...peach crisp with maple cream sauce. Oh my heavens. YUM.

Welcome to Del Boca Vista

So we're surviving and thriving. We discovered the town pool (which is closer to a water park, truth be told) complete with lazy river, several huge water slides, diving pools, and kiddie splash areas. It is just amazing. We have already spent several days there. A summer pass is unbelievably cheap and we have declared it our summer go-to spot. So much for not getting any more freckles this year. Sigh.

We've also begun to meet some of the neighbors. One of the huge draws for us to this neighborhood was the fact that the HOA dues cover lawn mowing and snow removal. We have since discovered that it is attractive to a lot of other people as well - people who are not necessarily in our age bracket (or that of our parents, even). We have had the parade of good, Christian women bringing us treats all weekend - everything from Jello salads to cookies to brownies to lemonade. They are all very kind, but will most likely not be calling for play dates. (Chase did offer to help our next-door neighbor Clyde fix his sprinkler. Clyde didn't jump on the chance at his expert, free labor, much to Chase's chagrin.) Nevertheless, we have met a few young families here and are still thrilled with our house.

I am proud to report that I did my first six-miler on Saturday in preparation for The Race. It went pretty well, considering how hot and humid it was. I did get me a cute new running skirt thanks to Marathon Bird and her excellent suggestion. I have to say, it is pretty awesome. I've never really liked running shorts as I've been unable to find a pair that didn't get stuck in the fat of my inner thighs and ride up (is it just me? Does anyone else find this problematic?). These running skirts stay right in place (with a little pair of built-in shorts underneath to keep things covered) and I was mighty comfortable. As comfortable as one can be running at six a.m. on a Saturday morning in heat and humidity. I'm just saying.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Heading out to watch me a few TIVO'd Soprano's I've been saving, eat a brownie, and drink about a gallon of water. Happy Sunday!

Lights in the sky on the 4th of July

Just got home from watching fireworks with old friends who live here in Missouri, and made some new friends along the way. Here are some shots I took:

And on this, our nation's independence day, I am thankful for many things. Some at the top of my mind today are:

• My beautiful family.
• My camera and the cool pictures I can take with it. (I'd seriously marry it, I love it that much.)
• Fireworks and meeting new friends.
• Listening to my kids play pretend.
• Chase demanding that we all stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance (which we did).
• Water parks to cool down at on a hot, humid day (even though Hannah pointed out just how jiggly my legs are. Thanks, baby. Mama REALLY needed to hear that while wearing a bathing suit in public).
• Putting together my new scrapbooking room.
• Fireflies.
• Good running shoes.
• Watermelon and ice cream (4th of July staples).
• Love, home, and freedom.

Happy 4th everyone!

Mi casa, su casa

I'm finally unpacked enough that I can share some pics of our new house. I know you've been begging for them, so just this once, I'll indulge you.

Here is the kitchen (and due to the lovely color on the sunroom wall, there is a green tint coming in that makes everything have a kermit-like hue in this picture. It really is much less green-like). If you will notice the lovely mauve countertops are still with us. Husband has promised me they will be gone within two weeks. I believe him. Because he lives with me and knows how mean I can be when I don't get my way. Or when I have to spend any amount of time looking at anything resembling pepto bismol. We've picked out a lovely brown/tan/black speckled granite that will hopefully look really good.

Here is the dining room. The painter is coming next week to overhaul most of the house. This room will be one of those redone. Notice the cool inlay that we had the floor guys put in. We had them do hardwood around the perimeter of the room, and a carpet inlay in the middle. I really love it (we also did this in the family room).

Here is the family room. The huge white patches on the wall are the shadow left behind when Husband removed some hideously ugly built-ins that the previous owners had. I'm also going to have the mantle of the fireplace painted white.

Here is the sunroom off the kitchen/great room. Ignore the large pile of boxes in the corner. I am.

Here is the view from my kitchen window. Boy, I love the sight of these lush, thick trees. The kids have spent hours in the backyard running barefoot, eating popsicles, playing catch, and chasing squirrels. It is such a nice change of pace from the 10x10 patio square we called a backyard in San Diego.

And here is the formal living room. I spared you the lovely sight of the stenciled teddy bears and pine trees near the ceiling. I wanted to keep them, really, I did. But they just didn't go with my entire personality. So they'll be suffocating slowly under a nice coat of paint sometime next week.

So there you have it - a mini tour of Casa de Christie. We're really excited about it. Kind of nice to have a place to lay our head that is not either falling apart or bursting at the seams. Now that most of the unpacking is done, we are free to relax and enjoy our nation's independence in traditional American fashion - loads of fried chicken and watching explosions in the sky. Happy 4th, ya'll (see, I'm picking up the local lingo already!).

Favorite Things Swap

I finally got to the post office to pick up my package for the Favorite Things Swap. My partner, Beth, really sent some adorable, fun things. First off, love the headband from Anthropologie. Just so cool. And she is a very chic crafter with her ABC magnets and the great block (all of which will decorate my new scrapbook room). I can't wait. And she rounded out her favs with some yummy bread dip, some stickers, and pampering for a tired mama. I just love it. Thanks, partner. It was so great to get to know you. You are a doll.

Home, where my music's playing...home

We are here safe and sound (although my ragged, cracked hands would probably beg to differ). I am bone-tired and still keep finding things to unpack. I swear these boxes have to be mating. My mission tomorrow is to take a few shots of the house and get them posted - we'll see if I can find the time.

A few highlights of the move so far include:

• Arriving to find the floor all done and being just giddy over how well it turned out.
• Sighing with dismay at the layer of fine dust all over everything in the house (oh, the joys of remodeling).
• Spending my first night in the new house on the floor - sharing a blanket with a very adorable, very loud, snoring princess.
• Having to scoop a number-two (Hannah's) out of the main floor powder room and rush it to a working toilet (we have to get a plumber in to reinstall the toilet that the floor guys removed. They take it off, but don't put it back. Nice, huh?)
• Calling Josh about every eight minutes to see how much longer until he gets here.
• Unpacking 5,069,874 boxes and still not being done.
• Not seeing my children for hours because they are too busy recreating Lord of the Flies in the backyard.
• Having a schizophrenic dial tone. Sometimes we have one; sometimes we don't.
• Waiting hours as the genius Direct TV installer man attempts to make my t.v. work.
• Watching helplessly as said genius Direct TV installer man leaves without finishing the job.
• Calling Direct TV installers and be given yet another four-hour window in which to wait for a genius installer man to finish what earlier genius installer man did not.
• Waiting all day for the new bar stools and kitchen table to be delivered.
• Finally getting them and then grumbling because they are too tall for the bar.
• Not figuring this out until after the delivery truck has sped away.
• Having cupboards in my kitchen that are actually empty (because I finally have enough cupboard space!) as opposed to being crammed to capacity.
• Meeting the new neighbors with Chase's mohawk still rockin'. Klassy, no? It is gone tomorrow, I swear.

All in all, it's good to be home. Here in our home. It just makes me so happy.

Oh! And DCR Mom at Musings of a Housewife, nominated me for a little bloggy award while I was gone. I am flattered and thrilled to be a part! You really ought to pop over to her blog if you don't know her already. She's a keeper. Thanks, friend!