The Cleaner

What does your mother do for a job? 

My mom had always wanted to be "just a mom" and so upon graduating high school in the business track. She spent a few years as a secretary before marriage. Stay at home motherhood began a little over nine months later with the birth of me, and for the next fifteen or so years, she relished in that role. 

As stay at home motherhood became less of a full time position for her it became necessary for her to get a job. Without a professional degree and only a few years passed as a secretary, she was left to her own devices. After a not so nice few years being bullied at the local eye doctor's office, she decided to make it on her own.  Having a great report with children, she ran a daycare out of our home. After getting her fill of changing other children's crappy diapers, she took a turn into house cleaning full time. She has since become a pet sitter, house sitter, works at the childcare area at the local Y, and most recently procured a job at the local large chain grocery store.

Tired yet? 

One would think that her time as a house cleaner would be the catalyst to keep my own home meticulous. 

Nope. 

I hate cleaning. 

I never find myself motivated to clean. I never have been propelled to leave the couch to sweep the floor. Never has it been deemed a necessity to scrub the oven with a toothbrush or mop the hardwoods with Murphy oil soap & water. 

So in turn this week's topic for listicles chosen by Wendy of ten things you'd rather do then clean the house was simply too obtuse. 

I'd rather do anything then clean. 

I've decided to take this one and turn it about a bit. Consider it an ode to our cleaning lady, Denise. 

10 Things I'd be Willing to Give Up to Keep our Cleaning Lady

1. My gym membership 

2. Buying Organic

3. Bravo TV 

(GASP- no housewives or Top Chef!) 

4. Some of our cable stations
(really do we need nearly 1000 channels?)

5. Take out meals

6. My collection of Flip Flops 

7. Mo's nap

(yes, I went there)

8. Wawa
This probably would  be worse at 10 pm on any given weekday when I'm jonesing for some Ben & Jerry's. 

9. Facebook & Twitter

10. Pedicures

What would you rather be doing then housework? Feel free to join the link up!

Home

It took us a while to find this place.
An old house filled with character and charm.
A diamond in the rough, or a money pit, depending on the day.
A place with enough bedrooms for a family, but small enough to feel cozy.
The checklist was long, the search was wide.
"Too small" I would say.
"Too new" he would respond.
"Ah, definitely not!" we agreed.
Our poor realtor, nodding his head as we rushed through another,
and then another,
and then another.
Days turned to weeks,
Weeks turned to months,
and then by chance, we found it.
"We should check this place out" Bry muttered, "after all it's only two houses away from this open house".
It's not even a town we were considering.
I didn't even get to preview it online.
I don't think this could be it.
Walking in, I was ready to count it out, to consider it another "no".
Dingy pink walks met us as we walked in.
"This will be an easy." I thought.
Pocket doors, really?
Functioning?
"Look at the dining room" I blurted out, immediately attempting to quell my voice. "It's huge, and Tiffany blue!"
"Nothing paint couldn't fix" Bry said.
Thanksgiving dinner and birthday parties
The kids could easily sit here at the table doing homework.
"Why didn't they publicize the kitchen?" Bry asked.
Room enough for the six burner stove he always dreamed and an old white porcelain sink.
Don't get ahead of yourself
Photos of our family through the years would look fabulous up the stairs.
Coming to the top of the stairs, doors surrounded us.
Four bedrooms, one full bathroom.
Small enough to fit a crib and dresser, and have a cozy nursery.
Hardwoods and huge windows.
"Be sure to check out the third floor" the realtor instructed.
Up another flight of stairs to the hidden gem, a room the size of the second floor.
While the ceiling is dormered, it still is tall enough for us to walk.
The kids could have a fantastic playroom.
A backyard and front, ivy covered but the size was right.
Back to the front porch, a porch we ignored coming it.
Ceiling fans and lots of room.
We left, but the memory of that house stayed.

More houses came, but nothing compared.
We made an offer, but it didn't work out.
We walked away.

One month.

Two month.

"Are they still interested?" their realtor asked.

We signed and found our house.
We found our Home.

My dad and Mo on the front steps a few hours after we got the keys.

The stairway

The Tiffany Blue walls in the dining room

The third floor playroom on the day we closed

This post was inspired by a prompt from the Lightning and the Lightning Bug. This weekend's Dare to Share Link Up theme is For Love of Country. We'd love for you to share any patriotic posts or simply posts related to your country or home.

Daydreams

We have been in our home for just about two years now. While we have accomplished (and by "we" I really mean Bryan) quite a bit in terms of yard work and design, I still feel like there is so much left to do. Our walls still stand mainly vacant. I have yet to find the right pieces for our bedroom and dining room. I find myself at a stand still. I have been perusing design blogs and while I have linked quite a few in my Places I Go section,
I have a confession:
I.
AM.
JEALOUS!

Don't get me wrong, our home is fabulous! Both Bry and I fell in love with the character of the place. Details like six inch moldings along the floor and windows filled with old, sometimes hazy glass drew us in. Hardwood floors running throughout made with wood that we have since learned is no longer available, anywhere sold us, as did a redesigned and updated kitchen.
I just feel like I am letting it down. There is so much I dream of doing, I wish I could do, but I just don't quite know where to begin!
This house has potential, and I hope to do it justice.
Until then I click and dream,
I dream that Sarah Richardson will choose our house for a makeover. I am an HGTVaholic and Sarah's Summer House was one of my guilty pleasures. Mo and I shared a few minutes this morning watching the final episode of the season.
What will I DVR on Saturday night now?
I am awe of the things The Speckled Dog can do with a little paint. I wish I had the creativity and talent to create the pieces she does. FABULOUS!
I let my mind wander when I check out The Sweetest Occasion. I think about the parties I would love to plan in our someday finished yard or in our fantastically phenomenal dining room.
Finally places like etsy and pinterest only add to my indecision with what to do next.
Too many choices, I say!
For now, I think I will stick to something small and focus on finishing Mo's room.
After much debate, I found something for some white matted frames that have sat empty for a few months. Recently, I discovered Cinnamon Ink and fell in love with Kate's designs. Add some Wizard of Oz movie art, a few photos and frames, and a couple of other loved pieces and hopefully one completed little girl's room will make!

A Rainy Sunday Afternoon

What to do on a rainy Sunday?

Our joint New Year's resolution has been to start attending Mass at the local Catholic church. So far, it's the ninth Sunday of the year and we have made it four times. Not great, but far better then the amount of times we attended Mass in the past few years!
This Sunday we did not make it to mass, as we were out late shopping at IKEA. With our tax refund check, (Yeah, for having a kid in 2010!) we are finally putting the finishing touches on our third floor playroom. Currently it has a desk where the laptop is suppose to sit, chair for said desk, filing cabinet, book shelf, and tons of toys! Yesterday we purchased this sofa in green:

Since we live in an older home, the stairways are quite steep and in turn, make it difficult to bring large pieces of furniture up. It was taxing bringing up our bedroom furniture to the second floor, so one can imagine the dilemma wf having another steep staircase to tackle with a couch. IKEA was our best option, as it's build to suit.
We paid the extra money to have them deliver it on Monday. Imagine my surprise this morning when there was a knock at the door at around 10:40. There I am in my pajamas, holding Maeve to find movers. Apparently IKEA delivers on Sundays.
Who knew?
As I rushed to find Bry, he spoke to the movers while I ushered the girls up the stairs and into our bedroom to stay out of the way. In less the ten minutes, two large boxes and a small box filled with green slipcovers were safely residing in our guest bedroom hopefully to be assembled sometime this week.
The rest of the day has been relaxing.
I will confess, as I type this I am still in my pajamas as is Maeve. Mo unfortunately had a run-in with her cereal bowl this morning, so instead of pajamas she's currently wearing a Phillies t-shirt with pink leopard print leggings as she watches an unhealthy amount of television.

After enjoying a late breakfast of eggs, bagels, & bacon & scrapple which we picked up from one of the Amish vendors yesterday at the Reading Terminal Market.
We have been grazing on cheeses, French ham, & baguette. YUM!

As I type, Bry is upstairs fighting the battle of the Allen wrench as he attempts to assemble a large unit for the playroom. If all goes well, I foresee a lovely child-friendly retreat in our new future just a staircase away!
Until then, our living room remains kiddie central!

Spring is in the Air!

Winter is technically not over until tomorrow, but we have been blessed with springlike weather the past three days and the next few days are due to be even nicer!
Check out the grass! It's so different from the summer and fall.



We have escaped the prison, I mean our house, for the beauty of our front yard. Mo has rediscovered the joys of chalk and our front walkway has become her masterpiece! She is obsessed with "rounds", her word for circles. She asks you to draw a "round", you reply, "Do you want me to draw a circle?" and she smiles and says "UH-HUH!" and then tells you which color.
I'd love to brag that most of the art is hers, but that would be a lie. Bry took to drawing a picture of a boat and sketch of Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba. Not to be outdone, I drew a picture of Brobee and Foofa.




Just getting out of the house, even though it's only our front yard has made such a difference. Maeve, meanwhile, enjoys the view of the yard from the confines of her bouncy seat, that is when she keeps her eyes open.

Blizzard Photo Fun!

Maeve's First Snowfall- Umm... really I guess we should reword that as Maeve's first Blizzard!



The view of our house and street. Thank God for our next-door neighbor who has a snow plow attachment to his riding mower and our other neighbor with the snow blower.







We have spent the past week basically trapped inside our house. Mo has watched WAY too much television and I think we all, even three week old Maeve, are going stir crazy. We defintely will be leaving the house soon, if not for them, for my sanity.
We did have some fun with the camera.




Again, spring starts March 20....Maeve's two month old birthday, YIPPEE!

Christmas Recap

Have you ever been inspired to do something and plan for it for a few weeks or maybe a month or two, only to have the day come and you think, what the hell was I thinking?


That pretty much was Christmas this year.
A few months ago, Bry and I were watching a PBS special on holiday traditions associated with Eastern Europe. Many of the traditions I saw were foreign to me since my great-grandparents had immigrated to the United States many years ago. There were, however, some foods I had vivid memories of my grandparents cooking for both Christmas and Easter. As I watched, I became entranced in the stories of making pierogies and stuffed cabbage, of creating baskets on Easter to have blessed, of pickling eggs, and creating haluski with the leftovers. As I sat there watching, I relayed these memories to Bry and told him how much the food had been such an intergal part of our holiday festivities.
It was then, I got the brainstorm to start our own Christmas traditon. Inspired of course by my grandparents and Slovak and Polish heritage, Christmas day would now be a buffet of these foods from growing up: pierogies, stuffed cabbage, ham, & kielbsa. Bry offered to go to the Polish Market and pick up the hams, kielbsa, and sauerkraut, while I decided I would make my grandfather's pierogie recipe and stuffed cabbage. I asked my mom to help me with the pierogies, as they require quite a bit of elbow grease and did some online research for stuffed cabbage.
The months, then weeks, then days to Christmas quickly went by until it was the weekend before the big day.
My mom had agreed to babysit Mo so Bry and I could go to a holiday party, and then the next day, Sunday, we would together make piergoies. I would then make the filled cabbages on Monday or Tuesday, leaving Wednesday and Thursday for last minute baking, and gift wrapping.
Oh, how my plans were wrong!
Besides the fact that Mother Nature dropped two feet of snow on us on Saturday into Sunday, I was left to make the piergoies by myself. I did them in parts, making the mashed potatoes on Sunday, doing half a batch of rolling and cutting and boiling on Monday, and finishing them on Wednesday. On Tuesday I made some more cookies as I realized both Bry and my own cookie habit had put a large dent in our supply.
As for the stuffed cabbage, I purchased all the meat and ingredients on my weekly grocery shopping trip on Monday. Not wanting the ground meat to spoil, I put it in the freezer with the intention of taking it out the night before I intended to use it.
Again, intentions were good, however reality was different. Having made the last of the piergoies on Wednesday night, I forgot to take out the meat, until close to noon on Christmas Eve!
It ended up being a blessing in disguise as my sister came to our place around nine on Christmas Eve. No better time then the present to figure out exactly how to steam the cabbage leaves, make the right meat/rice ratio (don't get me started on rice! I hate my f--king stovetop!) and actual assembly. But about an hour and half later, we did it! We make two dozen filled cabbages that actually resembled the filled cabbages of my youth.
Christmas day and the twenty-sixth were are whirlwind. We had family and friends coming in and out all day, and I received quite a number of compliments on the stuffed cabbage. My future sister-in-law asked if she could be part of the pierogie party next year, and I defintely plan on making it a group effort. Bry took reigns of actual prep work during the two days and couldn't get the pierogies fried up quick enough! I'm guessing they were a hit!
Not too shabby for a 35 week pregnant lady who is carrying all in the front!
While I don't have any pictures of the feast, I promise next year I'll take some. I do have to include some from the past few days.

Christmas Eve,





Christmas Morning




Christmas Day





December 26

Snowed In!

Well, the weather outside was frightful the past two days. We were hit with the mother of all December snowstorms all day Saturday leaving us with just over two FEET of snow to shovel out of on Sunday. When I write "leaving us" I really mean Bry, he had the sole responsibility of shoveling us out.
Me being 34.5 weeks pregnant, there was no way I could help shovel or salt or anything. There was so much freaking snow and poor Bry was left to do it all. Hell, I had a difficult enough time attempting to squeeze into a pair of my old swim team deck pants, since they're waterproof to substitute as snow pants so that I could take Mo out to experience the snow first hand. I must have been quite the sight waddling down those front steps in my coat only buttoned the top half and my belly hanging out. The things you do for your kid, right?
She did love every minute of it! Bry took her out for about twenty-five minutes on Saturday afternoon just before sundown. It was still snowing and very windy and when she came in she was smiling but looked like this:

Do you see those rosy cheeks?
Yesterday, it was my turn to man the kid. She had a ball again.

That's me in the background, and the closest anyone will get in seeing my fabulous attire!
Between her snow boots which are a size and a half bigger then her shoes, and the two feet of snow, Mo spent a lot of her time asking for help getting up.

I seriously felt like she could have been a stand-in for Randy- little brother of Ralphie from A Christmas Story.
She did have fun playing catch with her daddy in the snow.

Finally, she just kept running away from me, leaving me to chase after her as she went towards the street, our neighbor's snow plower, and after the shovel, so I tossed her in the snow.
She probably would have sat there all day.



Finally, a picture of the house all decorated and covered in the white stuff.

In the past, I have hated the snow, but since have Mo, I really have found it enjoyable. I guess, also not having to shovel made it that much sweeter too!