Today: Bill, Spencer, William, Mary and Queen Anne

Today Spencer is in the family room with his many many blocks, building stuff and scolding the dog for knocking it over.

Bill is out in the barn, measuring a table for this person in Martha's Vineyard to give an appraisal. We are sending her pictures of this table my Paternal Grandmother had. It got kind of wrecked in the Splosion. We are trying to determine fi it is actually a William and Mary table or a Queen Anne table....................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz It is like 16 gozillion years old.

I am looking for Library books. Overdue Library books. Yes I am a delinquent and I have let it slide a little. I will probably end up in Library jail, so if you do not hear form me for a bit....

What is a KITLER, you ask?

A KITLER is a Cat that looks like Hitler.

You might assume there would not be a website that features only cats that look like Hitler.

You would be wrong: http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl

Yes, this may be a stupid post, but where else but here are you going to find a variety of info like this? In one day I have told you there are MANY cats that look like Hitler AND how to cut your electric bill. I do this for YOU, my adoring public, for no extra charge. It is a service I am only too happy to provide.

The title of this blog alone should tell you all you need to know.. about a dog (Boogie - who ate everything in sight) that we no longer own who ate Spencer's (real life) imaginary friend named DONUT.

Sure, you can read the New York Times if you MUST, but you will never get the kind of information from that rag that you get here.

SO Whether you need home energy saving tips, OR anecdotes about life with a four year old, OR captivating stories about and exploding house and the rebuilding of said house, all the from the point of view of a woman who has quite possibly lost her mind, stay tuned.

Lights Lights Lights, WattStopper, Patio Door and Heat/ AC

Today we went to the house at 8 AM and met with the electrician. We went all thru the entire house and told them exactly what lights we wanted where and how many plugs, and where the switches should be and all of that stuff. It was good I guess because now it will be where we want it and everything, but I don't know how that guy is gonna remember all that stuff. But I guess he does it all the time. We did not add much except since we have already lived in the hosue we know exactly what did not work out well before and now it should be better.

We plan to also get these great energy saving things that are like motion sensors on the lights of every room. You set them up for like say 20 minutes or whatever, and THEN, when, for example, your four year old goes to the bathroom right before we leave the house and leaves the light on in there ALLLLL DAY, it TURNS IT OFF after 20 min of no activity in there it has like a motion sensor thing on it. You can also set it up to turn the lights ON when you walk in the room, and turn them off when you leave. Its just a way to save energy and money on your light bill.

These things are called: WATTSTOPPER OCCUPANCY SENSORS and you just add them to your light switch I guess. There is info about them here: http://www.wattstopper.com/

In fact though we cannot afford to get half this stuff, here is a list of many ways to "go green" in your home: http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/productlist.shtml

They also put the patio door in today AND the furnace and central AC.

Reason #873 Spencer is a NUT.

Nutty Spencer, asleep in his car seat, with a diaper on his head.

THis evening while we were trying to prepare dinner Spencer was doing what he ususally does at that time:

Climbing on chairs to get in the cupboard to get the plates to set the table,
Running around like a maniac, with NO PANTS on...He likes to eat dinner in the buff..(???)
watching us cook and begging us for strawberries,
asking for the 5 th time what are we having for dinner

the usual 4 year old stuff I guess...

But tonight two funny things happened:

1. I was I was stir-frying some fresh sugar snap peas and he says:
"Mommy why are you making those Pea Houses for dinner again tonight?"

2. He was pushing chairs all around the kitchen - he loves doing this, and it keeps him busy - so at one point he I'm not sure... bumped into a chair and hit his head a little and then he said:

"Ouch......Didn't see that coming..."

HAHAHAHA - He is so crazy.

We have no idea why he takes his clothes off to eat dinner, or why he does anything he does.

We just love him.

LOOK! We now have windows!!!!! ALso Colors.

It is starting to look like a real house, finally. We have LOTS of other problems, legal and otherwise, but this is concrete progress that no one can argue with. SO there you go.


Still working out colors:



We both like this color, but I fear it may be too dark as in we might get tired of it.

This color is REALLLLLLY growing on me, and though some other colors are much more exciting, I seriously, SERIOUSLY have had just about ENOUGH excitement for a while. This tranquil color just appeals to me so much...

BUT the trick is that you have to picute it on YOUR HOUSE which is Much harder. I compare it to when you go to the eye doctor and they say Better One, Better Two. Better One, Better Two. Better One, Better Two...

SO I have tried to do this HERE:

Better ONE?

Better TWO?

WELCOME to the new BABY IPLAW!!! ALSO Busy Summer Ahead for Spencer...

First, Iplawguy and his wife welcomed their second child, LadyBirdJohnsonIplawbaby, a few days ago, a second girl. SO AWESOME and by the picture it looks like Mamie Eisenhower IplawToddler could not be happier. CONGRATULATIONS and welcome, and I only hope your Dad gets better at Scrabulous..... KIDDING!!!!! He beats me on a regular basis.


Next, Spencer's preschool is going to have 4 weeks of day camp this year which is GREAT because he just loves his preschool.

SO it will be a week of ART,
then a week of SCIENCE,
then a week of WET & WILD (?)
and then a week of COOKING FOR KIDS.

These will not be all in a row, and they are four weeks in total, from about 9 -1 M-F for the weeks they are held. They have a horseback riding thing too, but I think I would like to wait on that for a bit... We are building this house this summer, doing the mediation, eventually moving again, OFF the goat farm, and you know having to make 200 little tiny decisions about the house every ten minutes. SO I do not need the extra stress of thinking about Spencer on a HORSE. I mean horses are great probably.... he loves animals I know it would be fun for him but NOT THIS SUMMER. I am hanging by a very thin emotional thread these days. I don't need to think about Spencer v. Horse for a month.

Besides I have already signed him up for swimming, and then he is also going to do gymnastics once or twice a week and also KINDER KEMPO which is like Karate or something like it for four year olds. If all that stuff does not keep him busy, he still can play with his blocks...

MY GOODNESS that kid likes to build things. There are these smaller pieces of wood from the house that are in a pile on the front yard They are called Cut offs or off cuts or cut downs or something.... whatever - Spencer grabs a few each time we go over there and he takes them home. Bill sands them a little and ...Boom! Instant blocks to add to his collection... but these are still not enough.... Tonight when he ran out of blocks from his new set from his Grandparents, he used the cut offs and when those were gone, then he looked around and emptied an entire case of 24 little 8 oz water bottles from costco. (We stopped Juice Boxes for his lunches a while back and give him an 8 oz bottle of water now - he does not need all that sugar)

He built like this Water bottle highway all across the family room.... He is SO crazy.

Today we met Nick at the house to discuss plumbing stuff like where we want what...
and then Thursday AM we have to go in and figure out electricity stuff Like where all the lights are gonna be and stuff. For homework, he sent us home with a book of cabinets and pretty soon we have to pick those.. Like Fast.

This all seems like it is the fun part you know or so I thought it would be but it is hard sometimes... Like today we have to AGREE on a style of cabinets. That is the first hurdle...I like more modern stuff in very light colored Maple. Bill likes Cherry and traditional, and a little darker stain. Then we have to figure out what worked before and what kind of drawers and stuff we want this time....Do we want the KNOFE DRAWER back or can we live without it? I thought it was OKAY but we NEVER used that pull out cutting board it comes with. SO forget that. ALso here is another one: We have TONS of silverware I mean TONS.... and its all casual and you hate to throw it out, so we keep washing it and using it.... but then it OVER FLOWS the silverware drawer which is really narrow and small. WHY WHY WHY???? THIS TIME we are gonna have a HUGE silverware drawer to hold ALLLLL the spoons, etc. So anyway... We have to figure out what we liked in the old house and what we want to change... Like our kitchen has Southern Exposure or Western or whatever makes the sun just some BLASTING IN at dinner time. SO like about 5 PM in the kitchen you practically have to wear sunglasses to eat dinner and if you did the blinds, its TOO dark... SO we got a UV COATING on JUST those windows in that area.

Like for ex I hated the LAZY SUSAN. It was like this stupid corner cabinet/ vast wasteland, where pots and lids and bakeware just goes to die.. When the house blew up and we had to empty it for the last time, and after three years of living there we had collected like three bundt cake pans and all kinds of things that just were one day placed into the DEEEEP DARK ABYSS of the LAZY SUSAN and never seen again. Had the house not blown we might not have ever found them. SO its good we get to starts over because NOW I know I do NOT want a LAZY SUSAN again... BUT that I also LOVED my cabinet that held like tall skinny things, like cutting boards and cookie sheets In fact I used it so much that I think I want two of those. I have a LOT of cutting boards.. those you know...hard plastic ones... and I am always chopping things. Pluse they also double as like HOTPADS for the table for hot things....

So we are having to think about all these little changes and stuff and where we want what and I am not COMPLAINING, really but it is a lot more involved than you might think, and sometimes less fun than you think its gonna be. Some days I am not in the mood to go pick out faucets and sinks, I don't want to talk about where the freaking dryer is gonna go.. just put it on the roof if you want to...I am tired of all of this you know? WHo CARES what kind of interior doors to get or where the toilet goes or all of this... I observed a twenty minute conversation about POCKET DOORS v. regular doors the other day.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and then they ask me you know "Well what do you think Liz? How do YOU feel about POCKET DOORS??? " and I was like "Well, gentleman, I cannot say that I have formed a concrete position on Pocket Doors. I guess the Pocket Doors predate my involvement in the project, and further research is needed. However my IMPRESSION of Pocket Doors is that they are a pain in the ass and Spencer can get them right open when you are in the restroom and hence in the three years I lived in that house I never once spent any time in there with the door FULLY CLOSED. SO in conclusion, fellows, I am not a fan of the pocket doors........" GAWD just WAKE ME WHEN ITS OVER. And then after all of this I learn that POCKET DOORS are really the only kind of door they CAN put there so we HAVE TO HAVE THEM. SO uh where do I go to get this 20 min of my life back?

And then you have to do like all of this sort of IMAGINING the house that will be, even though we ALREADY LIVED IN IT for three years.... all the while in real life I am on a goat farm with kooky water and you know the stove with three working burners, and all this and its like... it feels like it is taking forever to build this IMAGINARY house that we will NEVER get to live in again. you know? LIke I cannot believe that we are ever gonna really live there...

The other day Bachelor Dude (the landlord) called us and he said that right after we move out he is going to sell the Goat Farm and if we like it he will give us a good price and we can have first crack at it.

WOW.

Bill started talking about how it is an intriguing offer.....and I could not help thinking, "Wow. I 'll bet if you put a couple of guitars in the fireplace they would burn reallllly quickly....." No Bill, we are NOT buying the Goat Farm. Because we have a lovely imaginary house with pocket doors and no knife drawer waiting for us.

Spencer's Family Birthday Party at Red Robin.

We still have not held the reptile birthday party, and we are not sure now if we will, but we did want to celebrate his birthday somehow, so we got together at Red Robin with our friends Siri and Steve and their son Travis. It was actually pretty fun and we did not know it but on that night the Big RED ROBIN bird mascot person comes around to tables. SO the kids went crazy when that happened. Also the staff did their weird clapping happy birthday song and it was overall a pretty fun way to spend a birthday.

We do not go to a ton of restaurants, but when we do, we like to go to places that are really tolerant of the kids. Red Robin is very kid friendly. Its always really loud in there so no one cares how loud they get and the staff is very nice and they have a great kids menu, etc. Plus, BALLOONS!!!

Isn't that what birthdays are really all about, anyway? Spending time with family and friends you love?

I think the kids had the most fun when THE BIRD came

Here are all "our guys:" Travis and Steve and Spencer and Bill. Steve is not only Siri's husband, but he is an excellent musician, and he and Bill also play guitar together.

The Cake: it had lizards and dinosaurs, and even fake rocks on it.

One of the presents: a Dinosaur that walks AND ROARS!!!!

Continuing on Memory Lane to celebrate Spencer's Brithday week.

Stuff I like to do:

I like to drive my Jeep, which later melted...

I like to goof in front of the camera..

I used to spend a lot of time at Toney Baloney's before it closed. Here is my buddy Donut

When I was two I was Spiderman For Halloween

One time it actually snowed in Oregon, and alll the kids and adults in my neighborhood came out to play in it. Except Mommy, who grew up in MICHIGAN, and is NOT AT ALL enchanted with the stupid snow...

In the summer my Dad made a Home Made Waterslide for all the kids out of a play structure, a sandbox and a hose. FUN!!!!

One time at Home Depot I actually fell asleep in the cart while Mommy and Daddy argued for an hour about floor tile... zzzzzzzzzzz They are such crashing bores...

When I am feeling really cool I wear my Dad's Bluesman Hat.

More Adventures of Spencer Growing Up

Sometimes I get mad....

but I have always loved my Daddy

And my feet....

And my Dawg, Riley.. (R.I. P.)

Love to play with Bill's Volt Meter

I love to pick out books to read in my lion chair

I like to run in the sprinkler in the summer...and get all wet

Spencer Doodle: A Retrospective

My Mother in Law, Mary Jo, sent me like 1000 pictures of Spencer last night which was great because she had stored them all, and I had lost them all on one of the computers that blew when the house exploded. Here are just a few of them. Did Bill and I ever have fun going down memory lane... IT is SO WEIRD that he is FOUR now!!!! We forgot how LITTLE he was!! We never thought that little guy would one day ARGUE with us!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAAH


NOTE I am having a little trouble uploading these pics I will try again in a bit Stay tuned.....

The trouble started even before he was born. This is actually Spencer in utero, flipping us the bird.

Here he is on the day he was born... a little crabby....

Pretty soon it was time to meet the dog.


We did our share of time in BABY JAIL....


humiliating outfits are just part of the gig..


I love helping Daddy build guitars. Most of our friends call this picture "MINI-BILL"

MORE PICS TO FOLLOW, if BLOGGER cooperates...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY SPENCER DOODLE!!!!

Today my little Spencer is FOUR YEARS OLD!!!! I cannot find a lot of his baby pics on this computer, they were on the old one that exploded.... but my mother in law is emailing me some as a baby. SO I got the cutest youngest ones I could find.

LOOK HOW MUCH HE HAS GROWN!!!!!! You are CRAZY, Spencer, but we love you so so so so so so very very very very very MUCH!!!!!!!

Spencer as a tot in his seat in the EXPedition that later EXPloded. For some reason he drooled a lot then...

Spencer at Donut's Cowboy themed Birthday Party. There's gold in that there inflatable tub.... I LOVE the boots...

Spencer on his bike in front of the old house.

Spencer at the Residence Inn two days after the house exploded. He is walking our former enormous dog, Riley who has now gone to Uhm... uh... "live with the vet..." at least, that is the version I am sticking to.... but uhmm.... Riley is really NOT living at the Vet... or living at all anymore, unfortunately.

Tool Time.....Spencer meets Taylor Hicks at his rehearsal because Bill's friend and endorser Josh is in his band. "Keb Mo" is in the background, whoever that is...

Kooky Spencer.. He look like a Beatle here..hahah or one of The Monkees

Spencer recently. He is starting to look a lot like my brother. He has grown so much!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER!!!!!

It was inevitable - sooner or later my terribly sophisticated sense of humor will reveal itself

Images from my NEW favorite site, "STUFF ON MY DOG"

http://www.stuffonmymutt.com

I am sure that most of you out there, and you know who you are, think that I have a terribly sophisticated sense of humor.... In my dreams I think that you think that.....

Its just not true.