This past weekend was great. My mother-in-law came over at 9:30 Saturday morning and held the Monster all day until about 8 that night. It was awesome. They got to interact and have fun, and Big D and I got a LOT done! We hung up a mirror and a shadow box of our wedding flowers in the dining room. The room had become my war room as I searched for a job, so we cleaned that mess up. Then we hung up a couple of pictures in the half bath downstairs. One was a painting we got from a Greek festival a few years ago - it really adds some color. It looks great. Then in the upstairs bathroom, we hung up a painting of a black cat that my friend C picked up for me when we were in school.
We have a random area upstairs that the builder calls the "data area." Whatever - it's just empty space that they couldn't make fit into the room next to it. We actually like the space. It has a rolltop desk that used to be my dad's and some shelves that I grew up with. This weekend we added a ton of framed pictures and books and hung a bunch of stuff on the walls. It is generally decorated with our college's theme. Big D and I didn't know each other in college, but we did go to the same school, so we have lots of stuff memorializng our time there. I hesitate to post a picture of the area, because it'll totally give away our top-secret location. :-) But I'll see what they look like when I take them. In the master bathroom, we put up just two pictures, but it is enough to bring some warmth into the room. We haven't made any changes to the bedroom or to the extensive hallways upstairs yet, but we'll get to it eventually.
The major change is the living room. Oh my gosh it looks GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The entertainment center is in place and has pictures on its shelves. The TV came in on Saturday and looks like it was made to go in our house. Big D set up the satellite receiver, the Wii and a digital frame that we've been unable to find a home for. What a difference! Despite pulling my hair out for months, I actually like my living room now. The rug arrives Wednesday. I hate to be a tease, but you'll have to wait until then for pictures. I want to take them when everything is in place. I'm so excited. The house really looks a lot better. That night, we put The Monster to bed, and Big D's mom went home. Then we passed out after the very productive day.
Sunday morning was hectic! I rushed to the grocery store to pick up snackies for the Mother's Day celebration starting at noon. Then we had to clean house! It was trashed with every day stuff - dishes, trash, bottles, etc. And the floor needed to be swept and the bathrooms cleaned. We barely got it all done before my family arrived at about 12:15. My mom and sister promptly took over my kitchen as they got food ready. My dad chowed down on the snackies I had set out. And my grandmother oohed and ahhed over The Monster. Big D's brother was there and spent most of his time upstairs at the computer to avoid my crazy family. I don't blame him! Then Big D's mom and grandmother arrived. They too started working in the kitchen. And then it was time to eat. Everything was good. The "adults" sat in the breakfast room, while Big D, his brother, me, my sister, and our two moms sat in the dining room. We were the rowdy bunch. Then we opened presents, cleaned up, and everyone left about 5:30-ish I think. And then I caught my breath.
This was definitely an improvement over past holidays. Usually, we go to my parents' house which is in another suburb of Big City - so it takes like 45 minutes to get there. Then we drive to small town where Big D's family lives - which is like an hour and a half away from suburb. Then we spend a few hours there, then drive back to our house - 45 minutes away. We spend about 3 hours actually driving, and we're gone all day. It sucks. We have to take a crapload of stuff with us to keep The Monster happy - blankets, toys, the bouncer, clothes, diapers, calculus flashcards (just kidding!). And I have to drag my pump around and excuse myself to a back room every four hours. So now that we have our house, Big D and I are going to try to combine holidays on occasion. Everyone gets along well, so the families blend decently enough.
Last year after putting our meager life savings down on a house, Big D and I instituted a no gift policy. And we've stuck to it. We don't buy each other gifts for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, anything, until further notice. Instead we write notes to each other. It's been nice. In keeping with the policy, The Monster got me a really cute card for Mother's Day filled out with a very sweet note. She also "made" a photocube at school of pictures of her that her teachers have taken. So cute! It was a great first mother's day.
An update from a post a week or so ago - I have an interview in the morning at one firm. It's my second choice firm, but a job is a job, right? The boss actually gave me a call this morning. He was very friendly and sounded excited to be meeting tomorrow. I followed up with the "first choice" as requested in an e-mail from the boss, but the woman I was asked to call sounded like she had never heard of me, nor did she care to ever hear of me. That was frustrating. She's supposed to call me back to let me know if/when the boss wants to meet with me. Makes a girl feel good, doesn't it? So at least something is lined up for tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
The Monster says, "Dude - I'm tired. Stop making me do tricks."
No comments:
Post a Comment