Beauties and the Beast

Here is a little known fact about me. Way back when I was pregnant with baby #2, I went to the doctor to find out the sex of the baby. I was pretty convinced I was having a boy because (1) I really, really wanted a Boy, (2) I just knew Carson was destined to have a brother and (3) I didn't have any experience with a girl and the idea of raising one overwhelmed me. So, imagine my surprise when I was informed that my baby was in fact, a girl. After making the doctor double check and being assured that I was definitely having a girl, I looked over at my sister and promptly burst into tears.

All I could think of was that girls grow up and spend their teen years hating their mothers and the rest of their lives thinking their mothers are crazy. I didn't want to be crazy. And I certainly did not think I had the emotional fortitude to endure years of fighting some smart mouthed eye-rolling nightmare. And being an ex-teen nightmare myself, I felt like I was probably due some serious payback.

Well, what can I say, I must have hit crazy early, because having a girl has been an absolute delight. No matter how much your husband loves you, there is no way he is going to enjoy a day at the mall followed by a mani and a pedi. But make this same offer to a three year old girl and you've got a friend for life.

So when I saw that a theater production of Beauty and the Beast was coming to our town, I jumped at the chance to experience it with Emme. To be fair to Carson, I totally invited him, but he was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of watching a play, about a fairy tale, with his sister and his mom. So, I let him off the hook and invited my niece Campbell.

I dressed the girls up in princess dresses and we had a marvelous time. The look on their faces when that curtain went up and Belle came out singing was positively priceless. Emme has seen Beauty and the Beast on video about a million times so she was literally on the edge of her seat with anticipation. Campbell (a bit of a tomboy) was less familiar with the storyline, but she seemed to be really enjoying it too. That is until the Beast showed up and he just about scared the ball gown off of her. From that moment on, she refused to take her face out of my lap and after crying non-stop for about twenty minutes, she fell asleep in my arms. Not long after, Emme started fading too. So, even though the play was only half over, we left at intermission. I really hope to see it in full one day, because it was really entertaining.

So, as I left with one little princess in my arms and the other slowly puttering behind me, I found myself thanking God for knowing that a little girl was just what our family needed. Emerson Claire is such a blessing. I say that now, but you may want to check back with me in about ten years. Things may have taken a turn for the worse.

Remodeling madness

Every summer, Dobie and I embark on a journey towards home improvement with hopes that this year, unlike every year before, will somehow be different. I think we have developed some form of home improvement amnesia which erases all memories of past projects gone wrong. We seem to block out all memories of the gigantoid mess that accompanies these little DIY’s or the unforeseen glitches that always come up. This year is no different.

After the dust settled (literally) from last year’s popcorn ceiling replacement-slash-debacle in the living room (see above), we began to dream-build again and decided that we would go it once more in our bedroom. However, knowing full well that replacing the ceiling means that you MUST replace the flooring, we also decided that we would get new carpet. And that of course led to new light fixtures which eventually led to us to needing new paint on the walls and baseboards. It was sort of like the home improvement version of If You Give a Pig a Pancake.

So, we took a week off of work and got all the work done so that the carpet people could come on the following Monday and put in new carpet. And by people, I mean the Home Depot carpet installation “team” that we hired to handle this leg of the project. Well, some "people" showed up but they looked nothing like the clean cut uniformed crew I saw on t.v. who arrived in a big professional looking truck with an actual back on it. What I got was two dudes in a red pick up with my carpet sticking out the back. I tried not to judge and decided to wait and be happily surprised with the completed product. Well, I am still waiting, because some other nincompoops from the aformentioned "team" measured wrong and came up 6inches short of carpet.

To be fair, I did get carpet in my bedroom, so that room actually looks great. We even sprung for a new flat screen television for the wall so I don’t have to squint to watch my old ugly 19 inch white hand me down t.v. from Dobie’s grandma. But once you leave the peaceful tranquility of my bedroom you are hit with the jarring spectacle that is my living room. Here, you have to step over the entire contents of our study which includes multiple guitars, two recliners, music stands, bookshelves, a console table and piles of clothes from the closet. Scattered around other parts of the house are electronic components and doors off of their hinges. For someone like me who needs complete order and symmetry, it is a bit unnerving. I am getting progressively more snappish as the days go by.

With this latest project, I think Dobie and I have decided that we definitely need a break for awhile. The next project is the kitchen countertops and fortunately I work with a guy whose family owns a granite store. So, surely nothing can go wrong, right??? See, it is happening again, the home improvement amnesia is doing it’s job……..