Checking in … with Canadian Geese

I suppose I should have checked in sooner, so you all didn’t think I had been murdered by a husband who hates green and orange stairs.

It took John 5 hours to actually GO upstairs, so he could see the stairs. He was very surprised and likes them very much. He was even more surprised that I did it by myself WITH the kids in the house.

I still like ’em. Laddie flies up the stairs now. Sydney is still spooked. Maybe that is just the way it will be. She’s 8 years old — she’s entitled to be cautious. Speaking of which, she is sleeping next to me, along with her brother. They are both in the doggie fetal position, chins tucked as close as possible to their chests. Cute.

*** Change subject ***

Our priest LeeAnne started her sabbatical this week. Oh my, I am jealous. To be in a profession where you can take three months off to study and rest every seven years — and not need to worry about paying the bills. That would be bliss.

Fr. Phil was filling in today, and his sermon had an interesting analogy about the Holy Spirit. Now for those of you who aren’t religious, don’t worry… I’m not going all ChristoFascistZombieBrigade here. Hang in here with me.

Phil said the Holy Spirit is like Canadian Geese. When you think of geese, you think of the mom with the goslings following along, Dad in hot pursuit. The male and female mating for life, the beautiful V formations and honking you hear in the fall and again in the spring — one of the beauties of life.

And then there are some of us who think of the biting, fighting, and mass quantities of goose guano left behind by the geese. This too, is like the Holy Spirit. It’s not all pretty. It often is noisy and doesn’t smell good.

So as I told a friend after church, next time something bad happens, I’m just going to say “There goes the Holy Spirit, crapping all over my yard.”

OK, maybe it was funnier in context. But these are the odd things that Episcopalians come up with at 8 am on a Sunday morning.

While You Were Out – Final Day

It took trips to the NE Minneapolis and Fridley Home Depots, but I found the edging I needed to complete the stair treads. They look pretty cool for a hand-made project.

Then, I got to play with the power tools! Just before John left, I told a great big fat lie about planning to make some pillows for the porch bench. And that I needed a big stapler to attach the fabric to the foam. Did he have one of those hand upholstery staplers?

He fell right into the trap. If you’ve done any furniture work, or watched a few episodes of “Trading Spaces” or “While You Were Out”, you know you don’t staple fabric to foam. He took me downstairs, showed me the air stapler, how to start the compresser, how to empty the compresser, and WHERE THE STAPLER MANUAL IS LOCATED.

I put the treads on the stairs, centered and stapled away. When finished, I let out my best Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt, and called Sarah and Rachel to admire my handiwork.

Here’s the view from the Dining Room, looking up.


And here’s the view from the top of the steps, in my workroom, looking down.


Rachel beams her approval. And yes, the stairs ARE that steep. This is 1920’s St. Paul construction.

After receiving adulation from the 4- and 7-year old, I cleaned everything up.

I think the stairs look great! I am so proud of myself. Now off to do the laundry…

Not Quite a Craft…

I just remodeled our stairs — it was a 5-day project. The details and photos are on the family blog: thewallsofstpaul.blogspot.com.

I did it all by myself! John is away at a conference. I really enjoyed the work. It feels so creative and energizing. Even though I’m not a fan of orange or gold, I do really like how it works with the wood panelling and the stair treads.

While You Were Out – Day Four

No photos today.

All the odd movement, extra exercise, etc. related to this project has caught up with my body. I think I gained 10 lbs. in water weight overnight; I am so stiff I can barely move.

I had to work today, and had to do a bunch of documentation updates. Oh, my aching fingers!

Laddie and Sydney are a bit spooked by the stairs, especailly Sydney. She is very hesitant about coming upstairs. I think the painted stairs give more traction, frankly.

I’m in the middle of making the stair treads this evening. However, I have discovered I have a problem — I need to finish both cut edges because the carpet frays if you look at it cross-eyed. Which means a trip to Home Depot bright and early in the morning. Good thing I’m only working two days this week.

So, I’m a bit behind on the project. But I should finish it in time.

While You Were Out – Day Three

No photos today. The paint is still drying.

Up at 6:30 am, painting the final coat by 7:00 am, finished (including the clean-up) by 8:00 am. The color still looks more like The Great Pumpkin than Jupiter’s Glow. But it is MUCH better than the ugliness that was there.

It’s a short day for working — the Shaw womenfolk will be over in the morning to have an “Emergency” video-thon before we head to the Mazars for their annual 4th of July party.

While You Were Out – Day Two

Photos and comments added 7-6-2006

Today I discovered I can paint a set of stairs in one hour, with or without the interference of children!

After a good cleaning last night, and a hearty sweep-down this morning, it was Prime(r) Time! I let it dry a good long time, and then put on the first coat of paint.This is the primer coat.

And this is the first coat.

I have photos, but they are still on my camera. (Not anymore!) I’m painted out of my bedroom and my computer/workroom right now. Since I’m using John’s computer, I’ll have to wait. My computer is the one with the bells and whistles. I’ll post updates as soon as I can get upstairs again. (Which was at 3:30 am on the 5th!)

The paint is a vast improvement already. Even the primer coat looked good. Right now, Jupiter’s Glow looks more like The Great Pumpkin, but it’s still wet. I’ll put a second coat on tomorrow. Then I can burn the painting evidence.

Sarah keeps asking if John will be angry with me. Frankly, if he is, tough. He’s not the one that keeps catching a heel on the old, crappy carpet. Plus, given the shape of the carpet I pulled out, I have to wonder how healthy it was to have it.

With the paint and the carpeted treads I’m going to make, it should be much safer and healthier.

I’m going away for 5 days in August. He can do his version of “While You Were Out” then.

While You Were Out – Day One

Photos added 7-6-2006

John is out of town at a convention. Time to play “While You Were Out” – the CA version.

Living in an old bungalow in St. Paul, we have the standard ugly, very narrow, very out-of-code staircase to our 1/2 story. The stairs were covered in an ugly yellow, gold and brown carpet that was probably original to the 1/2 story expansion in the 1960’s. I have tripped on this carpet numerous times, flinging myself down several stairs at a time. The carpet needed to go. Of course, there was no agreement about how to replace, what to do, etc.

So, with the spouse going out of town, this was an ideal time to take on a project. Much pre-planning, research, and budgeting.

I start pulling up the carpet immediately after taking John to the airport.


The carpet rubber backing was turning to dust. Black dust. When I was done, I probably had a grocery bag full of black dust.


And the stairs were worn and painted an ugly dark brown. It is stapled within an inch of it’s life.

A trip to Home Depot for more supplies — including a dust mask! I can’t sand/strip the paint because of the possibility of lead paint, so cover it will primer tinted Kilz-equivalent. Steps will be painted “Jupiter’s Glow”. But that’s tomorrow’s project.


All staples are accounted for — in the trash, not in a dog belly. Carpet is gone, black dust is eliminated. I’m dog tired.

Just Another Night at the Walls

9:30 pm

A blood-curdling scream comes from Sarah’s room, followed by repeated screams of MAMA MAMA MAMA.

I run down the stairs, into Sarah’s room, asking her what’s wrong. She’s sitting straight up in bed. She stares at me blankly.

“I need my pencil sharpened.”

Sarah is not awake. She’s having a dream. As I hear John storming up the stairs from the basement, I ask Sarah for the pencil, and then pretend to sharpen the imaginary pencil. With sound effects.

John enters the room as I hand the “pencil” back to Sarah. “Thank you, Mama”.

“Let me know if you need anything else, GeGe.”

Sarah falls over into her pillow. The REM cycle has ended.

***
One night last summer, Sarah got very angry at her very large stuffed tiger, in her sleep. She was yelling at it, as she got out of her bed with it, marched to the living room, and stuffed the tiger into a toy bucket. Then marched back indignantly to her bed to collapse on the pillows.

Bad mom that I am, I have pictures of the tiger stuffed in the bucket. She remembers nothing. I expect tomorrow she will not remember that I sharpened a pencil for her.

Kids can be so entertaining. Especially if you play along.

The Dumb Adoption Question

It finally happened to me. I got a dumb adoption question.

I was at my 25th college reunion this weekend, at all-female college I attended in Central MN. Good school, but in my era, one of the majors was drinking.

At a group meal, one of these Drinking majors (who also minored in vapidness and superiority through money) asked me, “So, how does it feel to be an adoptive mom?”

I looked her straight in the eye and said, “About the same as any other mom.”

And that was the last time she said anything to me all weekend. Which was fine with me.

Greetings from the Land of the Living Dead

The virii have taken over! Send Tamiflu or whatever anti-virals you’ve got!!

12 days after the first sniffle, I am finally on my feet for the majority of the day. Of course, being Father’s Day, I was working my butt off to set the celebratory tone. Then crashing and burning for 15 minutes. The FlyLady says “you can do anything for 15 minutes”. I don’t think she intended to include coughing up a new lung for 15 minutes.

All I can say is: thank goodness I had Father’s Day all planned out the week before I got sick.

John has taken ill. He’s been gutting out going to his various work/jobs, and attempting to be chipper with the kids. But he crashes and burns, although for longer periods of time. Considering I was nearly bedridden/housebound for 9 days straight, he’s entitled.

The initial bearer of the virus is doing just fine. Rachel is plugging along, finding new ways to irritate her sister. Ah, the ways of the 4-year old.

I am waiting for Sarah to get the virus. She’s next. At least she’s out of school now — her last day was June 14th.

Must sign off — time for periodic lung removal! STAY WELL!!!!!