IT'S MY BIRTHDAY....

And, boy have I gotten some awesome gifts which I will post later after I check on the construction crew....


What a special doll from Dianne.


And this inflatable tub quacks!


Leave it to Dianne to find the most interesting book!


WE INTERRUPT THIS BIRTHDAY TO BRING YOU THE ROACH COACH THAT CAME TO MY HOUSE!!!
MOM IS BUYING ME A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY LUNCH... the best BLT I have ever eaten! WHO ELSE HAD A ROACH COACH SHOW UP AT THEIR HOUSE FOR THEIR VERY OWN BIRTHDAY LUNCH?!? PROBABLY JUST ME.



Check out this super chic reed diffuser that Kathy, my Mandarin teacher and friend gave me. How sweet is that!?! And, the perfect stainless steel thermos to carry to China for keeping Maxine's water warm for her formula is, of course, from the the most fabulous...Dianne.


Ooooo, look at the cute little sporty shoes for Maxine from Dianne!!


And, look at these Nike SBs Bears from Mok. Anybody else have any of these??? The brown material is actually Teddy Bear material!

There are so many more presents to post. I am a lucky girl.

OPENING CAN OF WORMS.....

HOLeeeee GUACAMOLE!!!! I have officially started our remodel. Oh my... it is worse than nerve racking when it is your own home. It is a gut wrenching, butterfly inducing, tummy trouble test of nerves, patience, & a juggling of workers(and foremen), truck parking, phone calls, etc... as well as a string of first day disasters.
It is only the second day and I'm on my second foreman. And, why you ask.

DISASTER #1 was noticed on our(my mom's and mine) return to my house yesterday. I spotted broken glass in the driveway. Hmmm, what is that from??? Look up. Oh ****!!! What the **** happened!!!? Oh, I bet they threw a piece of demo'ed plywood off the roof and it hit the window. What dummies! Why didn't they just carry it down like I asked them if they were going to do? So, I go up into the guestroom where the broken window is. OMG! They didn't even knock out the large jagged pieces of glass hanging from the frame or clean up the broken glass! (My mom is visiting and obviously staying in that guestroom... the suitcase full of broken glass and clothes should have been a dead giveaway!) And, all they did was tape a piece of saran wrap like plastic over the broken glass and window frame??? What the ****!??? H E L L O... this is LA. How could they think someone could sleep in there like that!? IDIOTS! So, after a couple of phone calls to and from the construction company owner, workers were sent back to board up the window and clean the glass. HA... what did I expect from a man??? Surely not the glass cleaned up, did I??? Nope, didn't happen. And, I told the constr. co. owner that. What a way to start a job. So, today they installed new glass in the window...of course not tempered and not coated like mine was. Arghhhhh!!!! Corner cutters! Not liking their work.

OOPS!!!

DISASTER #2 was not really determined until this morning. So, this morning after dealing with my doggie being sick everywhere, my mom said that I should check the water heater. She said that there was no hot water to wash her hair. Hmmm? What else could go wrong this morning? NEVER, EVER utter or think those words when doing a remodel! So I asked DH if he had hot water. (Our bathroom uses a different water heater.) NOPE. No hot water. I'm sure that was a refreshing way to start the day after working til midnight and having an 8 o'clock meeting to attend... NOT. Oh, how awful for him. So.... my helpful DH rushes out to turn the gas back on. OOPS, not a good idea we decide... because he has to leave before lighting all the pilots, etc. And, after inspecting the gas meter closer it was damaged from the flying plywood, also. The 5 month-new gas meter was damaged and the impact had turned the gas off to the house. So, I call the plumbing company... ugh. I fortunately had an appointment for other plumbing issues for this morning. But when I called they couldn't come til 9AM and they didn't arrive til 9:30ish. The plumber assesses the problem, makes a quote, leaves for parts. {BTW, THE PROBLEM IS NOT JUST A CRUSHED BRACKET, TWISTED PIPES, LACK OF GAS, OR PILOTS IN NEED OF LIGHTING... THERE IS A BREAK IN THE PIPE AND THERE IS A GAS LEAK!!! WHAT?!! I GUESS I'M LUCKY THERE WAS NO EXPLOSION. HOW THAT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY COULD LEAVE ME OVERNIGHT WITH A DANGEROUS SITUATION LIKE THAT WITHOUT EVEN A PHONE CALL, EMAIL, OR NOTE, IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION??!!!?} Then, more calls to the constr. co. owner. Relay the quote. He(the GC), then, behind my back re-negotiates the quote. I'm sure the plumbing company will never come back to work for me(not that I will call them again). And, if the plumbing company can decrease the original quote that much, then what did they NOT do up to code and what corners did they cut??? OH ME...this is quite an experience! I am not a happy camper with this construction company or plumbing company. What a tummy twistin' time I have had today...all while celebrating my birthday a day early with Dianne and Mom. Aahhhh, what a nice time we had at dimsum(yummy, relaxing, and presents!)... even though my doggies had to come with me and stay in the car because of the plumber being everywhere in the house and the construction workers in and out of the house. Poor doggies but LUCKY ME! Dianne gives awesome presents!!! More to come on that ASAP.

6 MONTHS AND.... still counting

We have just passed our official 6 Month LID anniversary. For you outsiders regarding the lingo, that means we have had our application logged in with the CCAA for 6 months now. Dare I say... we are halfway there? Only time will tell.
When we started this process, we were told the wait would be about 6 months until we got our referral. Then a month and half into the wait, we were told it would be a year from LID to referral. So who knows how long this wait will actually stretch out to be???
I just have to say if the original prediction of 6 months were true, I would be up a creek without a paddle. (See photos of my jobsite under the Alabama Derby post - yikes!) I still feel like I am headed upstream and that paddle is just within reach. So, I am about to take hold of that paddle and shoot the rapids in a mad rush to "get ready." Anyone that gets in my way better be wearing their life preserver...cuz momma's gotta nest. And boy, does that nest need some major re-nesting. Pics to follow soon.
Of course, if our referral fell out of the sky tomorrow, I would drop everything to attend to that and be overcome with pure joy and sheer bliss but since that is highly unlikely I am working like a dog until that referral arrives. And, speaking of working like a dog... Mok is the hardest working dog of all. He is putting in about 80 hours a week. Aaaaah, the life and times of a FOGA architect.
SO, HAPPY 6 MONTH LID ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, my mother-in-law, my sisters (Chavigny and Jamie), my friend (Dianne, who is a mother-to-be), and to all the other mothers waiting for their babies from China. I received my first Mother's Day cards and Mother's Day presents this year since I am a mother-to-be, also. Chavigny (my sister) gave me a "mother-to-be" card that was spoken like a true experienced mommy and 6 stainless steel egg cups. How sweet of Chavigny to think of me.



And, a "secret pal" sent me a big package of surprises and a card. I, of course, knew it was Dianne. What a great surprise! The red onsie says Lil' Fire Cracker and was wrapped in glitterama tissue stamped with, "going 2b just like my mommy." How cute is that?! She also gave me the Best Friends For Frances book, a "boo boo bubba" cold pack for my doggies, a sandwich cutter, a "mommy's little girl" bib, toddler toothpaste and gum brush all wrapped in colorful tissue with ladybug stickers and a secret pal card. Dianne is da' bomb!!! I love all the unexpected goodies!!!




So, this past week I sent my mother an orchid arrangememt in a silver vase. BUT...the big gift for Mother / touching news of the day... we decided to finally tell Mother that we are naming the baby-to-be after her mother (who we girls called Nana). So it's official. Baby-to-be has a name. She is Maxine. And, I thought it an appropriate Mother's Day gift for her since she lost her mother (Maxine) 20 years ago today. I know Nana and Papa Fred would be honored. And, we hope to have our Maxine (formerly known as Baby-to-be & POD) home with us at least by the next Mother's Day. Fingers crossed that will happen.

THE ALABAMA DERBY...

So, the race is on to see what happens first. Will my project cross the finish line first or will our referral sneak up from behind and win by a cute little nose?? On your mark, get set, GO!!! Actually, the project is on the home stretch (minus the 2nd phase of the 8 car garage-ma-hal / office) and the referral is just rounding the first turn. So my prediction is that Phase 1 (the residence) will be complete prior to referral and Phase 2 (the garage-ma-hal) will be complete.... who knows when??? Phase 2 is just loading into the starting gate. So, here are some pics of the progress of the interior construction. It is still quite a mess but, I see paint on the walls. That is progress. Now, if we can get to the floor installation and refinishing, I would be cheering. As for the cabinets, forget about it. I may have to get "T" to come down and strongarm these guys. How hard is it to get a vertical grain douglas fir, flat panel cabinet anyway??? You would think I was asking them for neurosurgery. Geez, it's just cabinetry!!! IKEA, here I come.









PS. The pictures of the horse arena are from The West Coast Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer's Show in Pomona, CA. My horse, "She's All That Jazz" won a first and a second. And, she could be your's, if the price is right!!!