Alex's surgery

Alex had her surgery today. She is now back at home. They removed a mass they were concerned about and it turned out to be a nasty fatty mass with no long-term damage. She is really tired and still in some pain. I need to try to keep her mellow for the rest of the afternoon. Lucky is concerned about Alex and keeps walking over by her. Hopefully our dog will heal quickly.

Crazy crazy week

It has been a crazy week and it is only Wednesday...

We visited the hospital maternity ward on Monday night. It is really nice. The people are great. When I walked in they thought I was there to deliver the baby. It was nice to see the rooms and to know the "secret" entrance that zips you right up to the birth center.

The contractor started ripping out our bathroom on Tuesday. The problem is not as horrible as previously thought but once gutted lots of mold was found. Gross. Thankfully the problem is not more extensive and the renovations shouldn't last more than another week or a bit more. I will be sure to post pictures.

Yesterday Alex (the big dog) had to go to the vet. I have been to the vet with the dogs at least once a month this year. This time we went- yes Lucky wanted to go too-probably to get treats- because Alex has a lump by her leg. She will have surgery on Friday to remove the lump and determine what is wrong. We are trying not to worry about our sweet doggie.

Today I had my weekly doctor's appt. On the way, we were rear-ended. The guy who hit us then took off. Thankfully neither Mike nor I was hurt. We had a wonderful officer who helped us file the hit and run report. They are trying to track down the guy from the license plate number that Mike managed to grab. It doesn't look good. We will find out tomorrow just how extensive the damage is. Ah 1000 miles on the new car and it is damaged. We did get to our appt. a half-hour late. I have 4 weeks left to go and everything looks good. Just when I think I can't get any bigger- I am. I may post a picture-- we'll see. I have decided that growing out of maternity clothes is not a self-esteem builder! Before I looked like I swallowed a basketball- now I have either swallowed a beach ball or a watermelon. Apparently the little guy is getting cramped and is trying to break out- or at least stretch. He moves a lot!

We will see what the rest of the week holds. The important thing is Mike and I are safe, healthy (we were sick last week), and doing great- the rest is the small stuff!

Our updated kitchen

We painted our kitchen this weekend. It looks great- sunny and fun. I don't know if you can tell in the first picture but we had 1980's era country wallpaper with little red hearts. I took off the wallpaper several months ago but other projects kept getting in front of painting. It is now done- I just need to hang the curtains. To be fair- Mike did the painting and I helped with the prep and the touchups. He did a wonderful job. Our house keeps looking better and better.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We have had a wonderful holiday. We have so much to be thankful for! We stayed at home because I am not allowed to travel. We had several offers from friends locally but we decided to stay home after being sick this week. We slept in a bit and then walked the doggies. We had a beautiful fall day. Then we watched my Packers win the game. We get so few games out here that to watch a game is a huge treat.

We just finished a fantastic dinner- a team effort. We had a very moist turkey (soaking in brine is the key), homemade sausage and cranberry stuffing, baked sweet potatoes, and cranberry relish (my grandma's recipe). We had sparking juice (no wine for me). We used our china- it just made the meal taste better.

The only thing left is pecan pie- sent from Mike's parents in Texas. It is is the most amazing pecan pie you will ever taste.

We plan to finish our day watching episodes of 24 season 4. Of course, we must also stay up to midnight to see what the sale at Apple will be. Hopefully we can get our imac a bit cheaper.

The nursery is done!

We finally finished the nursery this weekend! It looks so cute. We set-up the changing table and the crib. We also have a glider that was a gift from Mike's parents. It feels so nice to have this done. All the baby clothes are washed, the nursery is ready, meals are in the freezer.... bring on the baby!

We also finished one of the guest rooms and the other will be done by tomorrow. My parents and Al are coming for Christmas so we are all ready for them. We are so excited to see them in a month.

The last big thing to get started will be the gutting of the master bathroom which begins Monday. Hopefully this project will only take 2 weeks. I will be sure to show before and after pictures.

Reflections from Halloween

Last night was a riot. I think it was the first time I have handed out candy. How can this be? I think it is that in WI most trick-or-treating is done on Sunday afternoons and I was busy with church. Although there may have been times I hid when the doorbell rang so I could just eat the candy myself...hmm... Anyyways. Here are my favorite parts/comments:

-a little girl asking me are you pregnant? (Mike's favorite)
-I like the m&ms (as they are being grabbed from my candy basket)
-The little 3 year old lion that said doggy and started going into our house to see the dog better. The dogs enjoyed it as well.
-20 or 30 something guys out dressed as a construction worker and a beer man (complete with a beer box for candy- old milwaukee no less)-- with no kids with them. I guess they just wanted candy. Hysterical.
-People with tiny babies and candy buckets-- who is eating the candy? At least they had older kids as well.
-My favorite: A woman dressed up in costume and her little child in the stroller in the driveway with the dad. At what age is it appropriate to dress up your kid so you can get the candy? If this works- I should have gone trick-or-treating this year!

Overall- I loved the adorable little kids who were just thrilled to be out, grateful for candy, and truly thankful. It was also nice to see families out together enjoying each other. I can't wait until next year!