Anyway, Mario called this morning.  He said the homeowner on his current job had hired a plumber, but the person they hired will only be able to work on the weekends - dragging things out even longer.  I started cringing inside, thinking he was going to tell me it’d be Christmas before he could get to us.

Well, halaluia, my luck must be changing, ’cause Mario wants to do our job first, while he waits on things to get straigtened out at the other place.  Even sweeter, he’s starting TOMORROW!  Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!  Whoohooooooo!

Oh, and did I mention we actually now have one, completely functional bathroom?  Yep!  We were finally about to get the tub upstairs taken care of.  We had Bath Fitters come install an overlay and it looks like a new bathroom!  And it works!  All four children bathed or showered in it last night and nothing came crashing down onto the first floor.  New tub, new toilet and working sinks - all in one bathroom!!!

Things are definitely looking up here around Casa Amarilla.  As the song says, all the clouds have disappeared…

I can’t seem to get through one complete room without the vacuum clogging.  At first it just gets a little louder.  I ignore that.  Then it sounds like legos are rattling around in there somewhere.  I try to ignore that, too.  (And, not it’s not legos.  The legos are all in Jack’s room and you can’t vacuum in a room where the carpet isn’t visible.)

It’s when the vacauum cleaner starts spitting all the carpet fuzz back out at me that I have to give up.  I mean, what’s the use in vacuuming when you’re spreading dirt rather than cleaning it up?

I keep hearing the Dyson guy’s accented voice in my head proclaiming that a Dyson vacuum won’t ever clog.  Wanna bet?

Anyway, I guess vacuuming will have to wait until Dan gets home and can unclog the darn thing.  I tried, and got a large dog’s worth of synthetic fur out of it, but it’s still clogged.  I’d hate to keep at it and break the darn thing and never be able to vacuum again.  *Ahem*

Dan and I started a “discussion” last night in front of the fire.  (What fire?  You ask, since we have not a fireplace in Casa Amarilla.  To answer your question, it was an outdoor fire.  We borrowed a neighbor’s pit and burned some of our ever-present yard debris.)  Beautiful night.  Coupla beers.

Somehow, the term “accomplished” came up when discussing various people we knew.  I pointed out several people I thought were accomplished, but Dan argued against them.

It quickly became apparent (in my humble opinion) that Dan has some extreme criteria for what counts as “accomplished.”  For example, a straight-A student from a well-known university or college is not accomplished.  Only a Valedictorian from an Ivy League institution passes muster with Dan.  Maybe.  If there was a lot of competition.

PhD’s, Master’s degrees, the number of degrees a person holds… none of those make a person accomplished.  Medical school or law school?  Yes.  Doctors and lawyers are most definitely accomplished people if you ask Dan.

A successful writer?  No.  A writer that wins a Pulitzer?  Yes.

A priest?  No.  The Pope?  Probably.

Are you getting the picture here?

By the time our discussion concluded, I was seething.  I still am this morning. I’m not sure exactly why I let it get so far under my skin, but I feel like Dan is failing to recognize many, many worthy accomplishments and the people who have achieved them.

I believe you do not have to earn a ton of money, attend an Ivy League school or be the president to be accomplished.  Teachers, mothers, scientists, nurses, software developers, sales people… it doesn’t matter what your chosen profession is… anyone can be accomplished in a number of ways.  My 6-year-old is an accomplished track builder, for example.

In my opinion, catching a bad guy is an accomplishment.  In Dan’s opinion it’s only an accomplishment if it’s Al Capone.

What are your thoughts?  Who are some people you think of as accomplished and why?  Here is Dictionary.com’s definition of the word “accomplished.”

ac·com·plished /??k?mpl??t/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uh-kom-plisht] –adjective

This morning, Luke and Sam were the first ones up (as usual).  They came downstairs, ran into the kitchen and Luke informed me that he’d brought his clothes and Sam’s clothes downstairs.  That way, Luke explained, I could help them get dressed without having to go upstairs!  Lukie even thought to bring a diaper for his brother.  Sweet.

Then you want to strangle them…

After dropping Jack and Maria at school this morning, I resumed my work in our backyard.  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but the previous owners let a lot of weeds and wild bushes grow up around the side and back of the garage.  In addition, they so thoughtfully left us a huge mound of… dirt/debris/trash/glass, etc. back there.  I’ve been working to dig up all the roots, pull up weeds, throw away the trash and smooth things out.  It’s a LOT of work.

Anyhow, as I worked, The Little Boys played.  They threw sticks for the dog, dug in the dirt and played some imaginary games.  Occasionally, things would get out of hand… someone would throw dirt in the hair of the other.  Luke and Cheerio fought over a stick (Cheerio won).  Basically, though, I was able to get some work done and they were able to get in some outdoor playtime (yay fence!)

However.

As I was toiling away at some cedar roots (damn, those are a bitch), I heard an awful lot of silliness going on.  The we’re-doing-something-we’re-not-supposed-to-be-doing kind of silliness.

I peeked around the corner of the garage and found them grabbing ash from the Weber grill by the handfuls and dumping it onto Cheerio’s back.  Then rubbing it in.  (That blasted dog will get attention any way she can.)

Needless to say Sam was covered from head to toe with ash.  As was Luke.  No need to comment on the dog.

Furious, I put both boys in timeout along the new fence.  As Luke claimed to disown me as a mother and Sam cried, I put some more work in.  It’s amazing how much stronger you are when you’re pissed.

After the longest timeout they’ve ever had, I finished up for the morning and ordered them to the back deck to strip.  I marched them to the basement shower (the only working one) and ordered them clean.

Now I just have to deal with the dog, dammit.

Master track builder and train enthusiast:

Homewrecker:

No comment needed for this one (click if you need to see it bigger in order to read the words):

Budding psychopath (I hope I’m joking):

(You might be wondering what an apple has to do with psychopathology…  When I complemented the artist on the terrific apple, I was informed very matter-of-factly that it was a poison apple.)

P.S.  Just in case you don’t remember, the kids (in birth order) are: Jack, 6, Maria, 5, Luke, 3, Sam, 2

Leave me a comment with your match up!

I just got my internet connection back after being down for several days.  Nice.  Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been happening at Casa Amarilla:

• We discovered a new leak.  At the same time this weekend, Dan had to “see a man about a job” and I needed to shower, so he went to the basement bathroom.  I showered on the main floor.  With nothing to read, he began to scope out the bathroom.  And discovered a water stain on the ceiling just below where I was showering.  We did a lot of running water and looking inside walls and running up and downstairs and we think we’ve discovered the problem.  Water is getting in behind the faucets in the shower and water is leaking everywhere. These are the same faucets that the plumber removed, found that he needed to order parts, and put back.
• We’ve been showering in the basement, anxiously awaiting the plumber’s return, scheduled for Tuesday between 12 and 4.
• In the meantime, the fence people came.  Yipee!!!!!  A new fence.
• Coincidentally (because all the lines were well marked, you know), the day the fence people started, our phone and internet went down.  The good people at Comcast, though, were able to send out a technician - 2 days later.
• The fence was completed yesterday and it’s beautiful!  The dog and the kids and their mom love it!  Dan, however, isn’t so satisfied.  We added an extra gate so he could get his rider in the backyard and he doesn’t think the gate is big enough.  Crap.
• Since our phone was down and the plumber was supposed to call ahead, I checked in with them yesterday.  Guess what?  We weren’t on the schedule.  Our kick-ass home warranty doesn’t cover any of the repairs.  So, instead of calling us to see if we wanted to pay out of pocket, they just cancelled.  Without calling.  Thanks!  (Remember:  we still have no use of the tub upstairs and can now no longer use the shower on the main floor.  Let’s hope nothing happens to the basement shower or it’s going to get a little rancid around here.)
• I vacuumed out the van this morning and found that Sam has lost yet another shoe.  This is the third time.  (Jack and Maria have also managed, over the last two months, to each lose a shoe.)  What is up with this?
• Comcast came this morning and we’re back in business with the phone and the computer, thank God!  However, there is a nice long cable in our newly fenced backyard that needs to be buried.  No worries!  It will be taken care of in the next 10 days.  (10 days is a looooong time with kids and dogs and a cable, but whatever.)

That about wraps it up… for the moment.

After Sam and I returned from church, I set about vacuuming all the creepy spots in the house.  You know, all the tiny corners and basement rafters that are full of cobwebs and little crawly things.

Since the Orkin man wanted my first, second and third born children in return for a little pest preventative spraying, we decided to go the DIY route.  I bought some spray last night at Home Depot and thought I’d put it down today while 3 of the 4 were in school.

After vacuuming, I got the spray out and went to it.  I was finished with 10 minutes to spare, so I thought I’d do the outside perimeter of the house before going to pick up Luke and Maria from school.  As Sam and I went out, I checked the door knob and found that it was locked.  I unlocked it and then closed the door behind us.  (I’d leave the door open and just screen door closed, but Sam can open that himself.  Which means he can let the dog out.  Didn’t want that happening.  AGAIN.)

Sam frolicked in the yard while I sprayed and with about 2 minutes to spare, I was finished.  Screw Orkin.

I gathered Sam and we headed into the house.  Almost.

Impossibly, we were locked out.  I couldn’t believe it!  I had checked!  I guess, though, when I turned the lock to unlock the knob I didn’t turn it far enough.  Or something.

There we were, needing to pick up Luke and Maria, the dog needed to go out, and we couldn’t get into the house.  I didn’t even have my iphone on me.  As if that would help.

I was NOT going to be late picking up my kids.  Not, not, not.

Quickly, I thought about breaking a window pane, but I really didn’t want to do that.  There’s enough broken shit around here to fix already.

Like Pinky Dinky Do, I thought and thought and thought and thought.

The kitchen window was open a crack.  But, we have locking screens.  Not just those annyoing don’t-work-anyway peg things, but actual lever lock thingys.  I looked around for something skinny and hard to poke through the screen so I could unlock it, but found nothing.  I checked my watch.  Ugh.  I had to get in!

Screw it.  I broke the screen.  I figured fixing that had to be cheaper than fixing a window.  I then grabbed a garbage can (luckily the garbage man had already come so it was empty), put it on top of the 30-year-old air conditioning unit, climbed up, and pushed the window open.

Sam was standing right there (you know, to catch me if I fell) and I thought it would be easier to shove him through the window and try to get him to let me into the house than if I tried climbing in.

I guess I need to get my brain checked.

All Sam did was sit on the counter and play with all the cool things he couldn’t normally reach.  I encouraged him to get down.

“No,” he said.

I ran to the door and jiggled the handle and knocked on the door to try to entice him.  No dice.

I went back to the window, grabbed his hands and lowered him to the floor.  Again, I encouraged him to open the door.  I think he actually tried, but wasn’t able to turn the knob.  Dammit.

Back to the garbage can-on-the-air-conditioner I went and tried to pull myself through the window.  Thank God the window was to the back of the house, because it was very embarrassing.  Sam stared at me while I tried to hoist myself through.  I’m not nearly as flexible or as strong, I guess, as I am in my imagination, ’cause I had a hell of a time.  But, I did it.  Somehow.

Quickly, I grabbed Sam, my purse, my KEYS and the dog and we headed out.  We were short on time, so I figured we’d just take Cheerio with us to school.  Again, I need that brain checked.  As soon as Cheerio was out of the house she took a dump (which I had to stop and clean up) and then she jumped into the car and shook herself out.  Hair everywhere.

I set my ever-present Diet Dr. Pepper down, buckled Sam in and then came back to find dog slobber all over my soda.  Ewww.

We set off for school.  At the stop sign I looked down and saw that my dark blue pants were covered with dog hair and my t-shirt was smudged with dirt from climbing in the window.  Terrific.

Here comes Susan Clampett to join the preschool line.

With Jack in school full time, Maria half-time and Luke going occassionally, somehow you’d have thought we could work things out a little better.  But, being new patients, we had to tow the line and take our appointments when we were given them.

Thankfully, when you pay through the nose for a pediatric dentist, they’re well-equipted for kids.  At least kids other than mine.

The waiting room was pracitally a playground/arcade.  The only thing that would have kept my kids more entertained was a pile of mud.  So, waiting for our turn was cake.

The rest was not.  To keep the children entertained while the nurse and I discussed healthy little teeth, they were each given a water toy.   You know, the kind where you push a button, which causes a jet of water to bounce a ball up and, hopefully, into a basket of some sort?

Well, no one was happy with the one they got.  Everyone else got something better.  Lots of commotion.  Once things settled down, I think the kids were entertained for.. um, about 45 seconds.  The nurse then offered Gameboys!  Whoohoooo!  None of my kids know how to use them, so the first few minutes of that was a bunch of questions.  Then games were attempted.  Everyone failed and became loudly frustrated.

Then books came.  Thankfully those worked better than anything else.  They worked just long enough to get Jack started in the chair.  The nurse let him hold a mirror so he could see what she was doing.  Then it was Maria’s turn.  The Little Boys were entertained just watching. Soon after, the nurse took Jack, and then Maria around the corner for x-rays.  When Jack returned, we all got to see his teeth on the computer screen.  Cool!

While Maria was gone, Sam was getting squirmy so his fool mom gave him the handheld mirror.  We played reflection games for a minute or two and then he was back in motion, walking around with his water toy, Gameboy and now the mirror.  Unfortunately, he left the room and I had to chase him down.

Like a druggie about to be pulled over by police, Sam tossed everything he had.  The mirror shattered everywhere.  I cut my finger cleaning it up.

Maria finally returned and soon after the actual dentist came in.  He checked Maria first and had Jack “help” and then they switched.  They did great.

Now, you’ll notice I haven’t mentioned Luke much.  Well, after the initial craziness, I set him on the floor with a book and he was an ANGEL.  Toward the end, he got a little teary because it was all taking “forever,” but other than that we was really, really good…

…Until Jack and Maria got to pick some toys from the treasure chest.  Then the Lukie tears started to flow.  I suggested we get some ice cream and that was met with enthusiasm.  But, the dentist told his nurse to be sure that all four children got to pick toys from the treasure box.

Great!  Everyone was happy.  Until we got as far as the waiting room and they had all changed their minds and wanted what everyone else had picked out.  Lots of complaining, some tears and a mom who was losing it.  Quickly.

I herded wailing four to the van, got everyone buckled and told them no ice cream because of all the tears and poor behavior.  Oh the horror!  More tears and gnashing of teeth.

I’m such a terrible, unfair mommy. The baddest, according to Luke.

I sure must have pissed someone off on the way to Chicago.

He did this spectacular job repairing the downstairs bathtub.

He replaced one of two hall lights upstairs.

And, he fixed a couple of doors that weren’t hanging properly.  He’s getting to be a regular HandyDan.

Over the last two days, I cleared our fence line, bundled brush, weed wacked and hedge trimmed.

Like I said before, by the time it’s all over, we’ll be ready to go into the home improvement business.  Our first big job?  Turning our tiny, crappy bathroom into this:

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/18112/

We’ll never have a big “master” bath, but we can make it look bigger - and nice!  Of course, all of this is a one-day-maybe-never project.  Clearly we’ve got to get that upstairs bathroom working properly and get the kitchen done.  By the time those things are finished, it’s going to be the dead of winter in Chicagoland.  We’ll be spending all our time and energy on snow removal.

So, we’ve been using the first floor tub for showers (Dan and I) and baths (Jack, Maria, Luke and Sam). Despite the stopper not working, we’ve been able to give baths using a make-shift drain plug.  It’ll do until the plumber comes back with the correct parts.  One day.

This is the same tub I’ve complained about due to excessive water on the floor.  It was driving us crazy.  We tried everything to stop it or divert it.  All to no avail.  Then we discovered the problem.  The previous owner (loathe to do anything right) “repaired” the failing caulk line around the tub with this.  In case you’re wondering… it doesn’t work.  Actually, as one bathtub guy told us, it makes the problem worse.  Water runs down the wet tile walls, gets under this strip and then is channeled around the tub and onto the floor.

Obviously, it does not provide a good seal.  Which means: WATER DAMAGE.

We found the WATER DAMAGE not long after I peeled the strip off.  We figured (since it was ineffective and terribly ugly) that we’d peel it off and then caulk around the tub properly.

Despite Dan having suggested that we wait until the upstairs tub was in good working order, I took the bull by the horns and got to work.  (After all, waiting until that tub is fixed could be… forever.)  I chose last night to start the project.  At 10 p.m.

Lo and behold, the strip was easy to pull off.  I mean, it’s not like there was a good seal there or anything.  So far, so good.  I brought the strip to show Dan, who wondered aloud what the heck I was doing peeling that stuff off that late at night, especially when we only had one working tub.

Ummmmm…?

It didn’t look too bad, really.  We just needed to remove the old caulk and put down new.  Dan and I got out our window scrapers and putty knives and went to work pulling up the old, very icky caulk.  It was very easy to pull up, as it was all rotted.

Unfortunately, once the caulk at the front of the tub was removed, it was easy to see that there were some  very loose tiles.  And rot.  I pulled out one little piece of tile at the edge of the tub.  Behind that tile was rotted backer board.  Black, rotted, useless.  Dan stuck his finger in there (ewwwwww) and pulled out black and gray, wet, crumbly cement stuff.

Due to my brilliant, go-getter attitude we now had NO working tub or shower.  And, it was 11 p.m. at night.  And, we both needed showers.

Here’s what it looked like:

And, here’s a nice, gross close-up for you:

We started talking about putting our new fence on hold, buying tile, going to the Home Depot tile clinic and what it would take to repair our bathroom.  We wondered how bad it was behind all that tile.  And, we wondered, what the heck were we going to do for a shower/bathtub? Like right now?

We decided to chance using the upstairs tub for quick showers last night and committed to finding a way to patch things up enough to use the downstairs tub until the upstairs one is permanently fixed.  Once that happens, we’ll get back to the downstairs tub and work on it in earnest.

So… after mass this morning, we worked on the tub some more.  We pulled out the rest of the little tiles along the front of the tub where the problem is.  Dan (oh, so brave) cleaned out all the rotted gunk.  Now we had a whole strip about an inch tall that needed to be filled in.  Then the whole tub needed to be caulked.

Off to Home Depot Dan and Jack went while I served lunch to the youngest three and put Sam down for a much-needed nap.

The boys returned home triumphant.  Dan had been able to find a strip of “never rot” that was just the right width.  He just had to cut the length down a bit to fit.  And fit it did.  Perfectly.  Whew!

My hero then caulked around the entire tub, rendering it water tight.

I figure by the time we get everything done around this house, Dan and I will be experienced enough to get into the flipping industry and make millions.  Look for us on HGTV.

An unexpected working weekend.  But, at least we weren’t bucketing water out our basement windows like the neighbor down the street.  They’re also new to the neighborhood, God bless them.

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