Finders, Keepers

I am a hoarder

2010-11-28T23:58:00.002-06:00

OK. I admit it. I am a hoarder. I am not nearly as bad as the people from the TV show, but I do exhibit similar characteristics. I keep stuff I do not need. Old ticket stubs, old papers from school, old textbooks. You get the idea.

My husband is a minimalist. My piles of extraneous things scattered about the house drive him bonkers. I constantly make half-hearted attempts at clearing items out, but I always seem to get side tracked. With my new son growing and the impending doom of crawling approaching in the not so distant future, I must come to terms my problem.

I start tonight, and I have a loose timeline on when I will complete the cleansing of each room. Posting photos will be a little embarrassing, but it will probably keep me honest and also help me get through this project. It might also help to sprinkle in a few episodes of Hoarders every few days to keep me motivated. Here goes nothing....

deadmau5 mask

2010-11-04T00:54:00.004-05:00

Jacob asked if I could make him a DJ deadmau5 mask for Halloween and I obliged. He found a walkthrough online and I followed most of the steps to create his costume for this year. Little did I know that caring for an infant can supremely alter an idealized schedule. I ended up pulling an all nighter to make sure the mask was ready for trick-or-treating. There were supposed to be more pictures of the assembly process, but after awhile I stopped caring about chronicling and was more interested in finishing so I could go to sleep.

All the parts

The acrylic globe, prior to being wrapped in velvet

I sewed "socks" of velvet for the ears, and glued the bottom ends around the posts

The completed project and my happy teenager in his costume

Extra special thanks to Robert Darwin and his blog that walked me through the making of the mask (http://www.robertdarwin.com/?p=3). Unfortunately some steps didn't turn out as swimmingly as his project, but the end result was passable, my hard work and sleep deprivation was appreciated, and my kid had a pretty sweet original costume.

Nate - 13 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:38:00.002-05:00

Halloween 2010

Nate - 12 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:35:00.001-05:00

In the pumpkin patch.

Nate - 11 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:27:00.002-05:00

Still swaddling for naps and sleep because his arms have a tendency to flail and keep him from falling asleep easily. Watching him escape from the swaddle cracks us up and we call him Houdini when he's wiggling awake.

Nate - 10 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:25:00.002-05:00

Baby shades. Too cute!

Nate - 9 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:20:00.002-05:00

Getting exercise in his activity gym.

Nate - 8 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:15:00.002-05:00

Our first play date at Lady Bird Lake.

Nate - 7 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:13:00.001-05:00

In our new ERGObaby carrier (aka instant sleep machine).

Nate - 6 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:08:00.002-05:00

Trying out a new mobile and napping in the crib in his room (instead of the bassinet in our room).

Nate - 5 weeks old

2010-11-04T00:03:00.001-05:00

I need a refill! Watching college football with Daddy.

Nate - 4 weeks old

2010-11-03T23:58:00.002-05:00

Tummy time fail. He was much more interested in gnawing on his fist and whining himself to sleep.

Nate - 3 weeks old

2010-11-03T23:50:00.002-05:00

Someone is not very excited about getting his picture taken. Oh well, you've got many more years of that to look forward to buddy.

Nate - 2 weeks old

2010-11-03T23:38:00.003-05:00

One of the few pictures we have without the hospital issue beanie and un-faux hawked hair.

Nate - 1 week old

2010-11-03T23:33:00.002-05:00

A classic example of how the best intentions do not always produce Kodak moments. I still like this picture because it shows how little Nate is when compared to Duke and how Duke is trying to get away from the weird humanoid his parents keep trying to push on him.

I suck at blogging

2010-11-03T23:22:00.003-05:00

With the birth of my first child, it might be a good idea to keep blog postings current so I can embarrass him when he is a teenager.

Nathaniel Eli Gould

Born August 1, 2010 at 3:55 pm

6 lbs 9 oz

19 1/2 inches long

Empty attic

2009-09-08T23:06:00.003-05:00

The end of last week was mild, so the full effects of an uninsulated house were not apparent until this weekend. Our house is uncomfortably warm. Not as hot as it would be without air conditioning altogether, and did I mention our unit is constantly running? The silver lining is the new ladder and how squeaky clean our attic is sans insulation. The previous ladder was an OSHA violation in waiting. Please disregard the unorganized garage!!

Attic restoration, Day 3 and warm fuzzies

2009-09-02T21:56:00.003-05:00

I was very wrong the amount of time it would take to complete the work on our attic. It was 2-3 days for the removal of insulation. Not including disinfecting (don't ask, another trigger to anger) and fixing the ceiling hole, we should be done by early next week. Curse this money pit! I might climb into the attic tomorrow for some more interesting pics. My silver lining is how appreciative our workers were when we fed them lunch and dinner today. It was the least we could do - they've been working in our attic in 100 degree weather.

Attic restoration, Day 1

2009-08-31T15:12:00.004-05:00

With the hopes of making the money pit more energy efficient, we are undergoing an attic restoration to improve our insulation R-value. The whole process should take 2-3 days total, not including an unanticipated incident from this morning (i.e. foot through the ceiling in our hallway). Accidents happen, but the foot size hole became a 4 foot hole after dismantling the broken pieces of drywall. Our contractor is going to repair the damage, but it still sucks. I just have to remember not to look up when I come down the hall, or I will get angry all over again. I hope tomorrow is less eventful.

Haley's first birthday

2009-08-30T21:12:00.004-05:00

My niece will celebrate her first birthday tomorrow. We had a party before her actual birth date so all the extended family could attend, and this is a picture right before she smeared frosting all over her face.

Mama Roux's

2009-08-20T23:49:00.003-05:00

After a failed attempt at a last minute happy hour on my actual birth date, we decided to celebrate at Jonathan's favorite new Cajun restaurant in Austin/Pflugerville. At the corner of an everyday strip mall next to Wal-Mart is a lovely gem by the original owners of Gumbo's. Very personal attention by the owners created a wonderful evening for our group - Yoli the wife is the hostess and her husband Michael is the chef. Portions are generous and flavor abounds. Try to save room for dessert! We enjoyed the Tabasco cheesecake and chocolate bread pudding. Special thanks to the Hoods and the Shugars that met us out to celebrate. You should definitely visit this restaurant if you are in the neighborhood.

Som Tom - aka Green Papaya Salad

2009-08-20T23:31:00.003-05:00

Jonathan decided he wanted me to try and make a signature Laotian dish for dinner last night. Thai people also make their own rendition too. I was skeptical because I am not the best chef and I have never attempted this without my mother. After multiple debates over the phone regarding ingredients with my husband, and googling what seemed like legitimate recipes - this is what we came up with. Why does every Asian dish I make have to be so labor intensive? I've got to ask my mom where she found the mandoline that slices the papaya into thin strips. Grater = FAIL. These tiny strips were made with tender loving care from you know who (me). We were impressed by our first attempt. And I got a cool Asian style mortar and pestle out of it too. My favorite way to eat this dish is with sticky rice. Yum!

New roof

2009-08-20T00:31:00.002-05:00

After numerous South Central Texas hail storms and debating with the insurance company, we replaced our roof. We also received a lovely surprise when they removed the tar paper - our roof decking was only nailed down in each corner as opposed to the length of each support joist. Grrreeeaaat! 70's shoddy workmanship at it's finest. Our contractor nailed down the entire roof for a small fee, and then finished our project in one day. You'll have to wait for an "after" picture because I still haven't taken one yet. It's only been two months, oops.

Bacon Smiles

2009-04-13T23:08:00.003-05:00

This event occurred in the past, but the picture is so cute - I had to post.

Background: Jacob specifically requested bacon smiles for breakfast. He has only recently acquired a taste for bacon, so I was excited that he asked for it to eat. We saw them made with sunny side up eggs and he only eats scrambled. Refusing to be defeated, I knew exactly how I would execute his wish.

We went shopping at HEB for supplies, and went about our business for the rest of the day. I woke up early the next morning to make bacon and eggs. Can you imagine how smug I was walking down the hall to bring him breakfast in bed? I was so proud.

He refused to eat it. He refused to get out of bed. He didn't even want me to save it for later. I wonder how many times in my adolescent life I subjected my parents to this same scenario.

Oh well, more for me. Damn, bacon tastes gooood!

Sweet 16

2009-02-23T23:16:00.003-06:00

A friend from high school reminded me today of something particularly ridiculous that I did when I was 16 years old. Oh geez, how dumb could I have been? It was pretty lame, and I definitely paid penance. Wow, that was a zinger.

Gone Baby Gone

2009-02-17T20:12:00.003-06:00

Dotty passed away on Sunday. The vet sent us a flower in her memory the next day. My only hope is that she shared in the joy she brought into our lives for the short time she was with us.

Dotty

2009-02-13T23:15:00.002-06:00

Here is the newest addition to the Gould family. I was out shopping last Saturday and was immediately drawn to the rescue groups outside of Petco (You know you do it too).

Sometimes I give a donation, sometimes I pet a few dogs. This time they brought out the puppies. I should have walked away.

I was immediately drawn to Dotty because 1) she was the calmest on out of the litter of 12, 2) she was one of the smaller puppies, and 3) once I picked her up it was over.

I held her for about 10 minutes (big mistake), then called Jonathan to ask if I could bring her home. We had been discussing the possibility of a new pet, but he really wanted an Australian Cattle dog. I didn't have a preference, but of course I had one that afternoon because I didn't want to leave without her. She was so snuggly and sweet like Duke was when he was little. Bless his heart - Jonathan told me it was my decision. I am in school now, and it actually is a good time for us to have a new dog because I am home more often to train and discipline.

The bad news - by Tuesday afternoon, Dotty had not eaten in a day and half. She had severe diarrhea and was very lethargic. The only thing she did was sleep, and she wouldn't drink any water. We had an appointment for her next rabies shot on Thursday, but Jonathan took her to the vet early. He had to make sure her symptoms were not serious. Unfortunately, Dotty tested positive for parvo.

Dotty has been touch and go for the last few days. She ate a little food on Wednesday, but was vomiting and had diarrhea when I went to go visit her on Thursday. This morning, our vet called to ask if he could perform a plasma transfusion on Dotty. We said yes.

The vet called again this evening to give us a status update. The color in her gums has returned and she is more lively, but they wanted to keep her another night for observation. Ugh. More waiting. At this point, Dotty has been at the vet more days than she had lived at our house. We are really sad, but we are hopeful that she will come home soon.

Craigslist finds

2009-01-24T18:40:00.006-06:00

When we moved into our house 3 years ago, we brought furniture from a 2 bedroom 1,100 square foot apartment to a 4 bedroom 2,200 square foot house. Our house was ridiculously empty when we first moved in. Our first party was BYOC (bring your own chair) because we didn't even have a dining room table. Pretty funny.

We were also "house poor" when we first moved in, so we didn't have a lot of extra money to buy furniture. Much less decorate. Then I discovered the joys of craiglist. I became obsessed. I must have driven Jonathan and a number of my other friends batty with questions and links. What do you think about this? Do you like this? Too weird? You get the idea.

Here are a few pics of my favorite gems. I have actually tempered my obsession, because most of our rooms are now full. I really like helping friends though. Show me what you like, and I will find it for you cheap. Hunting for bargains is one of my favorite past times.

Solid teak extension table with 6 matching chairs plus teak veneer buffet (circa 60s/70s) - $450

1964 Silvertone console with fully functioning turntable and AM/FM radio - $100

Out on a limb

2008-08-26T21:06:00.004-05:00

We recently had the trees trimmed at our house. Check out our before and after pictures.

Hondo's in Fredericksburg

2008-08-18T21:55:00.002-05:00

Order a tasty burger, or try brisket. Onion strings are the perfect mix of pepper and crunch. We skipped dessert, but look forward to going back again. We are playing Connect Four while waiting for dinner. I would have won this game if someone hadn't tricked me and cleared the board.

Post Moonlight Margarita Run 2008

2008-08-07T21:15:00.002-05:00

Having dinner with Nisha at Magnolia Cafe

1st Anniversary, May 4th

2008-08-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

We celebrated in downtown Fort Worth. Del Frisco for dinner, then drinks w/ Jess & Nizam. This is the evening that spawned the tequila bet. We're looking forward to the party next year.

Mmm, Burgers...

2008-08-03T22:28:00.004-05:00

Our family has been touring Austin's burger scene. Family favorites are Dan's, Hut's, and Dirty Martin's. This picture is from P Terry's. My husband and stepson are with me that day. We are enjoying a glorious spring evening and dining in.

Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake

2008-08-03T15:27:00.002-05:00

The lovely Lolo. It rained at the end, but we had fun anyway.

U2 in 3D

2008-08-03T15:23:00.002-05:00

Check out our HOT glasses!

Diaper cake

2008-07-31T23:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a cake I designed for my SIL's baby shower. We're excited about the newest addition to our family!

That's my ninja (aka husband)

2008-03-27T23:09:00.002-05:00

Christmas shenanigans.

2008-03-27T22:54:00.002-05:00

Aloha! Here is a picture of me at Sea Mountain Beach Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. I can't promise you I will always be interesting, but you are welcome to join me on the ride...