Saying Goodbye

After a weeklong visit, the CaliFamily has left the building. We hugged and cried and took some pics. Here they are...

This is me and my LITTLE brother, he's got about 5 inches on me and I have 15 years on him.

This is the MS grandkids and the CaliFamily.

This is what it looks like when they try to leave.

Blinded by the Light

Remember the other day when I said I could see the light at the end of the tunnel? Well here is proof.

First, late into the night my family came to the rescue...paint, paint, paint.


Then a little comic relief form KC.

Then a little painting love from my girl Shawna. Remember the jealousy post? Well, she was the one who had my back. This night however, she had my paint brush. She painted away.


After all that hard work, the pros got to work laying the floor. That is James and Raymond in the back...working hard laying my NEW FLOORS!!!



Of course, we needed a little more comedy to make fun of the stress we have lived in the past 8 months. So here is my man, pretending to lay my floors. He could have done it, really he could have. We could have, and I really wanted to, but timing was not on our side.



Now, if I could just get the table cleaned off again, then the pictures hung back on the walls, then the walls need touching up, and then the bar needs to be tiled, and somewhere along the line the bookcases need to get out of The Beezoos room. Where did the light go? Really, it was here a moment ago. I am sure of it.

Where did you come from?

I have a favorite widget. It is on the live traffic feed at the bottom right of this blog. If you click on the "Watch in Real Time" at the bottom of the feed box it shows you all the hits on your page.

While most of mine are direct hits, meaning that the viewer either typed in my web address or clicked on a link that directed them here....I do occasionally get some really crazy random hits.
When someone Google's something, it could lead them here.

So I thought I would share some of the random searches that landed people here at www.alwayslaughingoutloud.blogspot.com

My top two from this week are:

"My son has realy loud gas"

and

"Quirky Sandwich containers"

The REALLY fun thing is that these people actually clicked on my page hoping maybe to find what they were looking for.

I am so sorry to disappoint....but then again maybe I had just what they were looking for.

Still Under Construction

Here are some updated photos of the destruction...I mean construction.


This is the view from the side door entry. That cutout was a window prior to us owning the house, when this area was a carport, not part of the living room. It has always been kind of an awkward area....that is until KC and went crazy with the sledge hammer.


This is the NEW opening.


This is the NEW bar area.

The contractor is here right now finishing the drywall. He is busy sanding...which is quite possibly the worst job ever and the messiest. After a quick clean up, the new floors will go down and then it will be time to touch up the paint.

Surely the end is near.

If You've Ever Wondered.......

.....how to entertain an 18 month old during a hectic day of remodeling this post is for you. Here is a photo essay featuring my niece, The Beast.




First you paint on their belly....



then on their back...



Then on their face....



Then on their back again so that they can have a matching tattoo like their momma



And finally you just hand over the washable markers and let them at it.

Good times.
.....how to entertain an 18 month old during a hectic day of remodeling this post is for you.

Hodge Podge

This one is for Sippy...I had to post proof that Jared was was as tall as Grammy...notice the DH in the background...not getting any love. Just FYI...we had dinner outside that night because you couldn't even see the top of the kitchen table with the remodel mess.

This would be the above mentioned kitchen table...it did get cleaned off finally!!! The kids were able to eat dinner at the very table last night...progress!!!

Another benefit of remodeling...you get to write on the floors. I wanted to document the experience on the sub floor.

All the kids got a sharpie and doodled various stuff...Micah wrote the number 5 like a hundred times...don't ask me why. Anyway, I guess Jeff snatched the marker when I was unaware, and wrote the following message.

Can I just say, I totally cried my eyes out. You have no idea. When a husband tears down walls, lives in insanity, and generally is just superman through this whole ordeal-while working insane overtime at his REAL job, this simple note means the world. It goes without saying, that most of the headaches we encountered were from things that I specifically requested(expanding the kitchen which meant tearing down a wall, removing the popcorn from the ceiling, which was a total nightmare, removing the carpet and installing new hardwood floors, and sub floor too, removing the old bar, making a new one, painting every wall in the living and kitchen, and I could go on and on) it means the world.

Yummy Green Salsa

Wanted to share this super yummy salsa recipe....

Tomatillo Green Salsa Yield: 5 pints

5 cups chopped tomatillos or green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
1/2 cup seeded finely chopped jalapeños
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp oregano leaves
1 Tbsp salt 1 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner 15 minutes at 0-1,000 feet altitude; 20 minutes at 1,001-6,000 feet; 25 minutes above 6,000 feet

The Best Part of Remodeling

Every once in a while you get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This afternoon we saw the light in the form of graffiti. Why go through all the mess and hassle of remodeling your house if you can not paint your names on the wall.



Above: our real names
Below: our nick names

Here we go again...

Well friends, we are back in the grind. The remodeling is back in full swing. We have super busy the past week, and seem to have an even tougher week ahead of us.

I have family coming in next Tuesday, so the Hubby wants to buckle down and finish up all the loose ends. The good news is, we are actually doing really well. We had a contractor come out over the weekend and install a new support beam in the living room, to compensate for the fact that we removed a wall. We should be able to install the new floors this weekend. I have been painting the living room, and later today I should be able to re-texture the living room ceiling. The drywall work should get completed today or Thursday. And the list could go on and on. Thankfully, the process has not been as problem filled as the kitchen was, just a lot of hard work and long hours.

Once again, I have 4 or 5 entries, that I started, but could never get around to finish..so hopefully I can play catch up soon.

Fruits of our Labor

It's good to be home and back in the garden. Since I am new to gardening, I have no qualms with trying new or unusual varities. This year I grew YELLOW tomatoes and RED corn...both were so yummy. I personally, almost have a hard time eating this beautiful Ruby Red Sweet corn...it's almost too pretty to eat.




This is the Chubby Checker Sweet Corn.



Cucumbers and tomatos...soon to be pickles and salsa.


These are from Mr. Jimmy...our neighbor. My kids love to go over to his place...the boys were even shelling peas this morning with Ms. Hazel....somehow it's more fun to do garden work with the neighbors?!?!?!?! Go figure.



Yummy green beans...I am going to roast these tonight...I can not wait.



Well, I better run....I think the boys are still at Mr.Jimmy's...there is no telling what they have gotten into.

And just for the record, I have no issues with posting pics of my garden....but boy was that bathing suit shot a killer. That might end up being one of those "for a limited time" posts.

Poolside Fun

I am still working up my courage.....But I promise by this time tomorrow, mine will be posted.

Happy Birthday !!!!!

We love you Brooke. Wish we could be with you today. But since we can not, we thought we would send a little crazy love your way.

Does this one count?

So, I am thinking that this picture should count. Since I am technically wearing a bathing suit, and I do not recall anything about you having to see it...then this should count right??????





I am working on my bravery issues...I will post a real one later.

Hey, can I photoshop it first????

Taking the Plunge....

Just wanted to invite any other brave moms to join Bridget and I on our 4th of July double-dog-dare-you post. We have decided that instead of just posting pics of our kiddos having a great time swimming on the 4th , that we too will brave the camera lens. By Sunday night, we will have both posted a pic of us in our swim suits for all the world to see...how crazy is that????

Really, you should join us.

Think Pink...

Last week when I was touching up my roots (which I seem to being doing more frequently these days) Micah asked if I could put some "red" in her hair. I didn't have the time that evening, but I promised her that next time we were by the beauty supply store we could go in and pick her out a funky color.

Well, today was the day. After a grueling decision between, "cherry wine" and "plum purple" we headed home. Here are the pics of our adventure.


Sitting pretty: Ready for the fun part to start.



Modeling the coloring cap...she couldn't believe that I was taking her picture with this crazy thing on. I, on the other hand, thought it perfectly normal to snap away.



This one is my FAVORITE!!! I love that cheesy grin, and the Granma cap is perfect. I can totally see my Dad's mom running into the store with her rain cap on...it's even tied under her chin like Granma's was.


The waiting game...all the goop is on. We just did a few chunky pieces, figuring that we could always do more if we loved it.


Here is the after shot...as in after I got it washed out...after she had ice cream....after she watched Justice League...after she wouldn't sit still, which meant I was chasing her all over the house...and finally after I realized that, while you can clearly see the HOT PINK streaks in real life, unfortuneately the flash washes them out in the photos.


In the end, it was really fun, and I just might add a PINK streak to my long tresses by the weeks end.

Summer Fun

Just thought I would share a little summer fun with all of you. This is Micah showing off her swimming expertise. More pics to come later today.