In the last two days, our bathroom project has made some gigantic leaps forward.  For one thing, the shower door has been installed.  That actually happened two days ago, but the guy recommended waiting 24 hours before using it, to allow the adhesives to set up.  OK, fine.  But guess what - even though this is supposed to be my bathroom, Brian took the inaugural shower while I was at work!!!  I'm not mad about it.  Actually, I'm glad that he was the one who got the air out of the pipes and figured out how the handle works.  (If you've read Steve's post on selfish wives, for your benefit I will insert an object lesson here regarding how lack of selfishness - i.e. letting the other one do the cool thing like be the first to use the new shower - can actually benefit you!!)

Anyway.  The bathroom is looking fabulouso.  The shower is functional, the built-in linen closet is now built in - complete with doors - and the trim is finished.  I have to touch up the paint and decide what hardware to put on the cabinetry.  (I'm really stressing over this decision!!)  And we're still waiting for the SileStone sink top, but the good part is that they will install it when it comes, along with the sink and the faucet.

Oh yeah, Shower Door Guy knocked $125 off of our price because it took forever for the door to be done, and also because of the rude reciptionist we had to deal with when we went into the store.  We'd almost cancelled our appointment for a measure because she was so unfriendly we weren't sure if we wanted to give this company our business.  But we kept the appointment because we couldn't get what we needed at any of the big-box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards) and the other glass place in town was more expensive.  Brian told Shower Door Guy how rude she was, and not only did he know exactly who we were talking about, but he must've said something to his boss to get us a discount!  Major points for him and that company (K&M Glass, if you happen to live in the Rochester area.  Ask for Shower Door Guy.)

So now you're at the bottom of this post......were you expecting a picture?  Sorry!  Not gonna happen.  I do have some, but I'm going to wait for the grand reveal until this project is all done.  Sayonara!

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I finally got to see Ted Kennedy's speech, which made me cry.

I've been so cynical for so long that it's really weird (but nice) to be hopeful about something. 

Right after Barack Obama officially got the nomination today, they showed one of the delegates crying and they talked to her.  Apparently her dad was refused the right to vote and he was one of the people who marched on Washington in the 60s.  He has Alzheimer's now and she was saying that he'd be so proud of this country, and I started crying again.

I teared up a little when everyone said "aye" for Barack Obama, too.  Although my teary pride turned to confusion when they started playing "Love Train."

Seriously.

Even so, this is totally my Olympics.

I'm not sure if I'll watch the Republican convention.  Well, I'm sure I'll watch the first three nights; I'll be at work.  But I don't think I'll DVR CSPAN and I'm not sure if I'll watch John McCain's speech.

I'm pretty sure I'll be gritting my teeth and fighting the urge to mutter obscenities at my TV.  And I'm trying to stop swearing (or at least drastically cut back).

It's not so much that I think it's offensive; it's more that I have a good vocabulary, and I'd hate to think that people don't know that.

(I'm not giving up crap, though.  That one's my favorite.)

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So this is going to be rather random. Just a warning.

Just call me Pilot Jenny
On Saturday, Kevin and Mia spent the night with me, which is always fun. I especially wanted to have this last bit of time with them since they started sixth grade on Monday. I can't believe they're in middle school now. Seriously, where does the time go?

We had a lot of fun. Originally Kevin wanted to watch Two Towers and Return of the King, which is a rather ambitious undertaking; I've never even watched back-to-back LotR installments so I couldn't imagine two almost-12-year-olds lasting. Unsurprisingly, after the first disc, Kevin asked if we could watch Buffy. So they spent the rest of the night taking turns picking episodes. We watched the very last episode; the fourth-season premiere; the episode where there are two Xanders; and "The Pack," which, admittedly, I shouldn't have watched right before bed. That's probably the only episode of Buffy capable of giving me nightmares.

Sunday we overslept, ate blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs, and watched my two favorite episodes, "Becoming, Pts. 1 and 2;" the fourth-season Indian episode where Xander is inflicted with syphilis by a vengeful spirit; and the penultimate Season 5 episode where Buffy's catatonic for three-fourths of the time and then realizes at the end that the only way to stop Glory is to kill Dawn.

Then we ran some errands and headed over to pick up Kailin, Emily and Elijah so we could run up to La Cantera and go to the Apple store since K, M and I had run out of time. The little wrinkle in that plan was that the bottom dropped out on our way to my parents' house. Maybe I should've scrapped the trip altogether, except I couldn't fathom being cooped up in the house for however long with five kids, and a little rain never hurt anyone, right?

We collected several umbrellas and Elijah's stroller and all loaded into my parents' ginormous Expedition and set out for La Cantera. It was actually pretty entertaining. Kevin and Mia had recently rediscovered their love for Serenity and so they decided we should "play" Serenity. I was the pilot -- River, since Wash got that rather untimely spear through the chest, although Kailin kept calling me "Pilot Jenny" -- Mia was Zoe, Kevin was Jayne, Kailin was Kaylee, and our "first mate," Elijah, was Mal, for lack of any other male characters except Simon and Book. (Too boring.) Emily kept insisting she wanted to be a princess, and also Miley Cyrus, so Mia talked her into being Inara by telling her Inara was princess. Princess, prostitute -- semantics, really.

So that kept Kailin and Emily occupied while I navigated the torrential downpour and they shot their "guns" at people in the cars next to us (thankfully the windows are tinted) and kept telling me to "check our six" and something about secret missions and Reavers.

We got to La Cantera (which is awesome and upscale and an outdoors mall) and unfurled the umbrellas and set out for the Apple store. It was pouring, and the slate tiles were murder on my and Mia's flip-flops, so since I didn't want to fall, we stashed our flip-flops under the stroller and went barefoot. We finally got to the Apple store. I literally walked right up to the salesperson in front and said, "I've got five kids who like to touch things. I need some earbuds for my iPod." And she grabbed my money and took care of me. We were in and out in five minutes. God bless you, anonymous Apple store employee.

Then the rain got really bad. Really, really, Noah's Ark-like bad. Kevin gave up his umbrella to wedge around Elijah -- the kid never got wet once -- and put his hood up and just got soaked. We were all soaked by the time we got to the car, despite the umbrellas. But they had a lot of fun. We ordered pizza on the way home, swung through Starbucks and got hot chocolate, got the pizza, went home and changed clothes and had dinner, and then they all went upstairs to watch Nim's Island while I tended to Elijah. I got him fed, bathed, and to sleep without a single cry, which is a miracle, because he's teething again and is rather fussy. (And spoiled.)

Anyway, it was fun, and never once did I stop and think, "OMG(oodness), I never want kids, ever," which is usually the way I'm thinking after 48 hours of babysitting. I guess I'm growing as a person.

I feel like I'm PLAYING TO AFRICA
Yeah, that's not going to make any sense unless you've been compulsively watching BG's really, really funny video podcasts on their YouTube channel like Sarah, Elizabeth and I have been over the last few days.

I will warn you that they're really random and also like Pringles -- it's impossible to just eat watch one.

E actually filmed us Friday night with her digital camera at A's and we watched it last night. It is so hilarious and you notice things that people say and do that you don't when it's actually happening. I can't wait to get the flip cam, which promises to be awesome:

Flip

All sorts of cool features, and it comes with built-in software to upload directly to YouTube.

Pretty soon we'll be filming podcasts like this: (if you've never met Sarah, she's pretty much exactly like Lauren -- namely, hilarious)

Missouri

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Comfy

That's DeWitte's cat Cleo. Not a very ladylike way to sleep if you ask me. She slept like that for so long, I went out to check if she was still breathing. She was. Then she couldn't be bothered to move, so you had to step over her. She's stuck up like that.

When she finally could bother to move, to come inside to eat, because that's all she does is eat and sleep..she's 419 years old in cat years, I found her here when I sat down at my computer..

Peek-A-Boo

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Show us a funny bumper sticker.

Bumper sticker

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Yeah, I'm starting my own thing. I'd do the Things on Tuesday (or is it Two for Tuesday?) but unless you count having so many creative Halloween ideas, I'm tripping over them, I don't really have anything to complain about. Being creative makes me feel fantastic.

So, this is something that warms my heart each and every time I see it...

Playing-Cars

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I have now lost 12 pounds.  (Thank you, Bekki, for whatever voodoo you did over text message yesterday.)

I'm trying to figure out what to do for dinner. I'm probably going to pick Sam up around 7 (we went on late last night and I'm sure we'll go on late again tonight), so I'd like to get something I can share with him.  (He doesn't enjoy watching other people eat when he's not getting food, too.)

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What's your definition of home?
Submitted by NayNay72

Home Is:

- Being curled up on the couch with Lee, Sylvester sprawled over both of us, purring like a vibrating blanket.

- Flannel PJs and coffee on the deck on a lazy Saturday morning.

- Pulling up to the cabin after a long Friday night drive and being greeting by the flicker of a campfire and the smell of woodsmoke.

- Kneeling in the grass in front of the flower beds, hands girtty with dirt.

- Walking into the bedroom and being greeted by a leaping weasel.

- A bar stool and a cold beer at the family pub.

- Anywhere I can be me - the good,  the bad and the ugly - and still be loved.

- Where I really can shake off trouble at the door, like kicking mud off my shoes, before going inside.

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I'm liking Hillary Clinton's speech.  I'd been hearing that a lot of her supporters were planning on either voting for McCain or not voting at all, which I think is so insanely obnoxious.

I mean, if you think McCain is the better candidate, I can respect that.  But if you're just feeling like lashing out because your candidate lost, grow up.  Seriously.

And for her part, Hillary Clinton is basically saying that, too. 

It's like this: Hillary Clinton is standing for strengthening the middle class, alternative energy sources, universal health care, ending the war in Iraq, making us respected worldwide and generally making things better for all of us who aren't pulling in six figures.  Know who else is standing for that?

(Hint:  It's not John McCain.)

And I understand.  If Barack Obama were speaking now and Hillary accepting the nomination on Thursday, I'd be sad and discouraged.  I understand how you feel.  But there is nothing in the world that could induce me to vote for John McCain.  Absolutely nothing.  I can't, in any good conscience, cast a vote for a man who considers me unworthy of equal status in this country. 

On a side note, I'm liking Michelle Obama's dress tonight, too.  It's white and very pretty.  (I can't speak to style as I am not a lipstick lesbian and I don't know terms like that.  But it's really pretty.)

Anyway.  As Hillary said, "We don't need four more of the last eight years."

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