a helping hand

Our last couple weeks have been a little unconventional and thus interesting. Slightly stressful but exciting.

WE MOVED.

Phew.

Just down the road a bit, and more on that later. This will probably turn into a "before and after" blog for the next two years, as we've got many ideas to spruce this new place up.

When we went to D.C. for the weekend, we left Moose in the capable hands of our friend Jenna. Jenna moved out here to nanny for triplet infants so we had that in common. Plus she's just fun. Also she loves Moose. So we decided to keep her around.

Jenna stayed with us while she was in between jobs, which happened to be the week that we decided to move to the new house. She was a wonderful listening ear as I talked through pros and cons and made trips to fax paperwork while I was at work. She made dessert for both Matt and Moose's birthday parties and had dinner on the table every day we got home.

It was hard to see her go.

So I let her come over and clean out the new house while I worked this week.

What a great friend!

a big day

Not only did Matt turn another year older last week, but someone else did as well . . .

My sister!

and . . .

MOOSEY!

Yay, Moose! You did it!

And he demanded a party, the little booger. But it's his birthday, so he decides. We had the four boys I nanny over for a picnic.

They played Moose's favorite sport:

Soccer! He's good, just like his dad.

They are both gearing up for the World Cup in a couple weeks.

USA! USA!

Oh- stopping for a break to check on things . . .

No, we did not instantly become a family of seven, but we could pull it off if we had too. When ever I'm out with the kids I admit I let people think they're mine. I like them enough. :)

Happy Birthday Moosey! We love you!

newseum

First, some family pictures:

Now that I've lured you in, it's time to discuss . . .

The Newseum!

This museum is practically brand-new and filled with all things newsy and interesting. They got their hands on some pretty amazing artifacts, from the unabomber's cabin in the woods to the radio antenna from the top of the World Trade Center. Let's not forget part of the Berlin Wall:

West side.

East Side.

Which side do you think had more fun?

The top level had an impressive view of the city

and a walkway of front pages from around America and around the world.

I snapped a shot of the Daily Oklahoman:

Of course the 12-yr-old internet sensation would be on the front page. He is from Edmond, after all.

My favorite might have been the hall full of newspapers through history. It was amazing to pull out a drawer and see Thomas Paine's words, "These are the times that try men's souls."

Or the Titanic sinking or the stock market crash or the assassination of a president or the succession of the South.

Ah, the power of the printed word.

The Newseum had several television studios where you can practice reading from a teleprompter (I got real shy and refused to try) and the studio where ABC's "This Week" is filmed every Sunday. They have a number of theaters that show short films about history and a 4D theater that highlights the evolution of news, along with this jumbo screen that was display the moment's hot topics.

So, next time you're in D.C., you know where to go. A ticket is good for two days, which is totally necessary to see it all.

open seas ahead

Matthew had a birthday on Tuesday. He spent the day working in Manhattan and battling traffic on the LIE. He finally made it home to dinner - kielbasa and perogis - and some dessert and cards, etc, etc, etc.

Then I made him go upstairs and put his stuff away. And he walked into the guest bedroom and found himself a little kayak. I had just about burst with the burden of secrecy all these weeks.

He was a little surprised/shocked/wondering if his wife will ever learn to make wise financial decisions. But - come on - when will we ever live on an ISLAND again? And I love him. And he couldn't argue with that.

Moose was a little unfriendly towards the kayak, which was occupying the spot on the guest bed he likes to sneak into. Little did Matt know that Moose had already become acquainted with the kayak when I had brought it home.

Moosey want to go for a little ride?

He's just like Lewis and Clark, he is. And Sacajawea. The three of them put together.

Tighten up those straps on your paddle vest, buddy. Safety first.

And . . . I think he's about to make a run for it . . .

This picture really gave me the giggles. Still does. I'm laughing right now.

District of Columbia

Last weekend I had family get-together number two, this time with the Yezerskis. Everyone descended from their respective states on Washington, D.C. for the weekend.

I just looked through all my pictures and . . . they kind of stink! But, here they are, and maybe I can get one of the whole family up here later because I know all the aunts out there would appreciate it. :)

First of all, there's Connor.

He was pretty much our entertainment for the trip. We'd plop him down in the middle of the living room and just watch him instead of tv. He and Matt are in the Air and Space Museum in the picture. Always worth a visit.

The White House:

And the brothers.

He he he.

Connor again:

We stopped by some of the monuments . . .

WWII Memorial:

The last time I saw this was at 5:00 AM on our Taylor senior capstone trip, so it was nice to see it in the daylight. We looked up a bunch of facts on it and it's a pretty awesome memorial, I will say. One of my favorites.

Climbing the steps to the Lincoln Memorial is a must.

And while the shot looks serene, we were actually surrounded by tons of irreverent tourists squawking about the heat, disregarding the signs that suggested respectful, contemplative viewing of the monument.

Later we stopped by the American History museum and spent some time in a display dedicated to Lincoln. We saw his famous stovepipe hat! Seriously. And the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen "The Star Spangled Banner." That thing is HUGE. And OLD.

Oh, we also saw . . .

THE PRESIDENT!!!!

See? In the window? Waving? With the FLOTUS and little Sasha and Malia? Well, they're in there. Sirens blaring and flags waving to prove it.

So, that was a brief glimpse of the weekend . . . more pictures coming soon and a review on the must-see Newseum. MUST SEE!

the graduate

I'm in Oklahoma.

It was a surprise for all except my dad, who picked me up at the airport, and suggested he drop me off at the front door so I could ring the doorbell and surprise the rest of the family. It worked. :)

I'm here because of this guy:

My little brother, graduating from Oklahoma State University. Woohoo!

Pomp and Circumstance.

It was a little different from my graduation ceremony a few years ago.

We didn't have bagpipes.

Or a jumbotron.
This was the first of three graduation ceremonies today. At Ryan's they very efficiently graduated the School of Business and the School of Health Sciences.

Hi, family.

We also did not have this at Taylor:

the old cowboy hat.

Yehaw.
Ooh, three at once.

We sang the state song, "Oklahoma!" Yes, "O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A."

And during the school song, all alumni joined together to sway and sing.

family family.

Cousin Ashley, Uncle Jeff, and Grandma.

It is also Mother's Day weekend, so I was thankful to be here with my mom and Grandma. So worth the trip!

Reason #365

. . . that I need new throw pillows.

Yes. Because that is the number of days per year that Moose must lie on top of them. Or burrow his (slimy) snout into them.

According to him, I should just get over it already.

trying my hand

Yesterday I refinished a chair. Yes, it is true. Little old me tried her hand at something creative and followed through. I shall tell you all about it.

We found this gross chair whilst driving about on Saturday and tossed it in the truck so that I could pursue my dream of taking something ugly and making it nice again. See, I read all these decorating websites and they're all recession-friendly and these girls make the cutest things out of junk. I just want to be like them.

Ugly chair:

Speaking of junk, look at this hunk-a-junk:

Not to be confused with this (just plain old) hunk:

Moose was acting like such a weirdo the whole time we were outside repurposing old objects.

I think it's because we had just put his medicine on his back (no ticks, no way!) and he didn't like the way it felt.

I think he's over it.

In between sanding, painting, and recovering, I finally got the urge to do something with the buoys I've been collecting from the beach over the past 8 months. I am just so intrigued by our beach and all the "finds" that wash up on the shore, sometimes I come home with the weirdest stuff. Mostly just pockets full of rocks . . . and occasionally a buoy.

We hung them on the creepy.scary.viney.buggy garden shed.

I like the maritime feel.

And, to get to the moment you've all been waiting for . . . to see the chair made new. I would like to say, first, that regardless of your opinion, I will have you know that this entire project cost exactly . . . ZERO dollars.

chair: found on side of the road

paint: found in basement

along with

paint brushes and sandpaper

staple gun: purchased by dad when he made my garden hutch

fabric: something I've been moving from state-to-state since I went to Tanzania in college. I just liked it then, and I still do, so I thought I'd actually put it to use.

So, while it did cost SOME people money, it didn't cost ME a penny. Except the fabric I bought back in 2004 but I'm pretty sure that wasn't too expensive.

So . . .

ta da!

Roosters!

I like the way it turned out. Besides the fact that the fabric, however enchanting and eclectic it might be, matches absolutely nothing in the house. Oh well. It can always go outside.

Or, I'll sell it to ya.

I'll be holding a silent auction in the comments section.