Working Weekend

We FINALLY opened the pool last Thursday night.  I was able to wash down the driveway and then get the cover thoroughly scrubbed on Friday...much to my delight because I believe my neighbors think I'm crazy when they see me washing down the driveway every year.  When they see the cover spread out on the driveway later, it helps to explain away some of my OCD cleaning insanity.  (Well, kind of.)   It only took three days in the blistering sun and ten hours with the power washer to get our deck all sparkly clean...just in time for the next couple days of rain and thunderstorms.   I also pulled one over on Martha Stewart and did a little of what I call redneck sewing in the garage over the weekend.  I used an extension cord to plug in my sewing machine on a flipped-over bucket while sitting on a college-dorm-room-leftover recliner in the garage to sew straps back onto our RV cover.  Seriously.  All I needed was Daisy Duke shorts, a tube top, cowboy boots and it definitely could have been true redneck sewing in all its country-music-listenin', tobacco-chewin', NASCAR-lovin' glory.  

 

Keaton was in his techie glory and put his newly-acquired college computer skills to good use and built his very own computer.  He ordered all of the components separately and then spent Thursday night and some time on Friday night to put it all together.  Everything works and none of the lights dimmed, so life here is good.  Except for when he blew a fuse and my oven died right in the middle of cooking dinner.  But, everything is now back to working order and life is better than good.  It's great...I discovered the frozen alcohol slushies.  I'm trying all the flavors...twice just to be sure I can decide which one I like best.  I'm leaning toward Bahama Mama at this point, but I still have a few more flavors to try.  Twice.  Maybe three times just to be sure.

Keaton's girlfriend and I enjoyed a frozen cocktail while cheering him on during his computer building project.

 

 

Keaton's tower and all the stuff that makes a computer run.



Installing the cooling fan and other stuff.



Installing more stuff.



Putting all the stuff into the tower.
(And yes, I think that "stuff" is the technical term.)



Wiring all the stuff.
(I love the headlamp.)



Ta da! It works!!


 

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day!

 

This past weekend was all about Matt...and it should have been since it was Father's Day Weekend. You know, that revered weekend where fathers can sit back, relax, and be waited on hand and foot by their offspring.  Except for Matt.  He doesn't sit still for long.  He ran a 5k with Keaton after work on Thursday, went golfing with Keaton after mowing and fertilizing on Friday, went kayaking with me and some friends on Saturday, enjoyed some fishing on Saturday and Sunday, and finally was able to watch some golf on TV on Sunday after unloading the RV and drying out everything from a weekend of camping.  (I took a nap.  Is there anything more boring on TV than golf?  Oh, I know...fishing.  Yuck.)  Happy Father's Day to my favorite father of our son!  (Maybe one of these Father's Days you'll sit still long enough to take a well-deserved nap with me.) 



They ran a local 5k for a fundraiser. Matt placed second in his age group.
(I don't know if that's good or bad. I think it's awesome unless you ran with 70-year-olds.)



Keaton got his favorite father a new putter. They put it to good use right away.
(Notice Cyrus in the door. He doesn't like to ever be out of the action. He's afraid he might miss a bite of something good to eat.)



Matt caught some fish while kayaking in the Manistee River and didn't tip once.



11.2 miles of paddling down the Manistee River on Saturday wth friends.
Surprisingly, I could still lift my arms on Sunday.

Thursday Things

Whew, it's been a busy week...and it's only Thursday!  We took a trip down to Kalamazoo and loaded up the Durango and trailer with Keaton's college-life necessities on Sunday.  (It's amazing how much he can fit in a small space!)  He took a couple of finals and headed home with his vehicle full of the rest of his dorm-sweet-dorm stuff on Tuesday.  He remarked how much quicker moving back home and getting unpacked and organized was this time.  (I don' think he took into account that his favorite parents in the whole, wide world already moved and unpacked 2/3 of his stuff on Sunday!)  So, after cleaning three area rugs and a chair, washing six loads of laundry, cleaning every tote that came into the house, and strategically stacking his stuff in the basement I'm happy to say he's happily settled.

 

 

Last night (before we decided to hang out in the basement while the tornado sirens were screeching), Matt installed ANOTHER new dishwasher.  No, we're not collecting dishwashers.  (Matt does seem to be collecting tractors though, but that's another story.)  So, the brand-new dishwasher we bought and installed a couple of weeks ago died.  After one use.  ONE.  The repair service the company uses told us it would be six weeks before they could come out.  SIX WEEKS.  Yeah, right.  Other service centers didn't service our area.  (It's so frustrating because it's not like we're in the middle of no-man's-land...we're between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, which were actually established, domesticated, civilized cities the last I heard.  Shoot, I heard they even have that new-fangled internet thing now.)  Anyway, we decided to return the dishwasher and try our luck with another manufacturer.  It was delivered yesterday and it's now running its first load.  (My dishpan fingertips are thankful!)  While Matt was installing it, I decided to let my creative juices flow and I made some magnets to put on our new metal map of the U.S.  I made two different logos:  one for the states we've visited by RV and one for the states we've visited by plane.  We have 11 more states to visit and then it'll be time to conquer the rest of the world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23!

We celebrated our 23rd anniversary of wedded bliss on Saturday.  We enjoyed the most expensive breakfast in our history at the casino (sadly, we weren't winners on any slot machines that morning), bought another new dishwasher (this is where it would have been really nice to be big winners at the casino...even little winners would have been nice), and enjoyed a lovely dinner and sunset on Lake Michigan.  After 23 years, we still make each other laugh every day.  Although, I'm definitely funnier than Matt.

 



Dinner took a little longer than expected, but we were still able to catch the last rays of a gorgeous sunset.
And there really was a gorgeous sunset behind us. This just helps prove my point of why I need a better phone.

Recipe Reunion

Years and years and YEARS of recipe collecting, sharing, and copying created a huge pile of yummy things to try.  But, it also created some paper overflow.  My little recipe box got so full that things spilled over into a second recipe box.  Then, recipes started to spill out of the second box.  I was not about to get a third recipe box.  My solution:  I bought a big cute box, made cute little dividers, and finally got all my recipes happily living together in one happy little home.  This has been bugging me for years.  It's funny what drives some people crazy.  Disorganization is definitely at the top of my list.  Well, maybe not at the top of my list, but definitely in the top 100 after: impolite people; people who don't use their turn signals; inconsiderate people; people who throw cigarette butts out the vehicle window; people who don't recycle; people who don't use personal water bottles (and those who only drink bottled water and think they're doing good by recycling them, but in reality create more energy to be used by having them recycled when they could just use one water bottle and just wash it daily instead of wasting energy to have dozens recycled); people who don't pick up after their dog; people who let their dog pee in my front yard while walking it; people who let their dog bark relentlessly OUTSIDE all day, every day; and the list could go on an on and on.  Maybe I really do need to be medicated...or I need to live on an island, far away from some of my neighbors.

I found this box at Hobby Lobby...and it coincidentally also matches my tablecloth!



All my recipes...reunited in one place at last!!
(Well, my handwritten recipes.  The ones I printed from the computer are in binders.)



All my recipes downloaded from the computer, printed, and neatly organized!

 

Dishwasher Obituary

Our dishwasher passed away last week after a long battle of sporadic computer board failure.  The dishwasher leaves behind a flat-top range, microwave, and refrigerator.  A public viewing is being held in the garage until Thursday (when it will go to the metal recycling center).

The new dishwasher.  The old one will be missed!!
 

My Animals

I love animals and seriously would be a vegetarian if I wasn't lazy and didn't want to cook two different meals.  (Heaven forbid when I tried 'meatless Mondays'.  That didn't go over well.  Then, it's a serious dinner dilemma for Matt if I make spaghetti without hamburger in it.  Sigh.)  I did quit eating red meat for about six months after reading a Robin Cook book that totally scared me.  (Not a cookbook...a book by Robin Cook.  I have to be careful about reading books by him because they're scary for a paranoid germophobe like me.)  Matt's a total carnivore.  I'm just thankful he doesn't eat anything rare.  That is so gross!

So, my love of animals has grown over the years and I'm happy to say that we have some animals who come into our yard to visit me.  I've named them (of course) and talk to them every day.  We have George (the rabbit); Chubs, Skittles, Tiny, and Slim (the squirrels...and yes, I can tell them apart); lots of birds; and a pair of raccoons I've named Phil and Lil.  Chubs is my favorite.  He's not afraid of me and actually comes up to the patio door to peek inside the house.  He even comes up on the deck railing if I sit outside on the deck.  Cyrus isn't crazy about Chubs.  I don't think it's because he doesn't like Chubs.  I think it's more like Cyrus doesn't want to share any of my attention.  Keaton recently said that he's half expecting the animals to be living inside the house whenever he comes home.  Silly guy...they'd have to be potty-trained first.

This is George.

This is Skittles.
 

This is Chubs.
The other squirrels didn't come over for their photo op. 
The raccoons are cute, but need to be relocated to a different home.



Ludington

Ludington was lovely!  We enjoyed a fun camping weekend with friends while hiking, kayaking, and biking.  (Is it still a hike if you do it in flip-flops?)  We visited the lighthouse, watched sunsets on the beach, and just enjoyed some time relaxing.  I'm happy to say that my pretty pink kayak was sea-worthy and I didn't tip once!

My kayak got quite a bit of attention and compliments.

 

Even my life jacket is pink.  Now I just have to find a pink paddle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lesson #392

Yesterday, while power-washing the deck, I learned a valuable life lesson:  never, ever, EVER wear flip-flops on a wet vinyl deck while trying to push a huge, heavy, full-of-dirt planter box.  You just might end up head-first and ass-up in it.  Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a skirt. 

 

Spring Cleaning

I'm in the home stretch of my spring cleaning.  And that means pretty much using a toothbrush to clean and scrub every single square inch of my house.  And every single object in my house.  And every drawer, closet, and cupboard in my house.  And taking apart the toilets, shower heads and every light fixture to clean them.  You name it and I've scrubbed it, polished it, and/or taken it apart to soak in hot, soapy water or bleach.  While cleaning the carpet (each direction twice...and then a couple swipes diagonally just to be sure it's really clean), Cyrus decided to park his cute furry self in front of the fan drying the carpet.  He likes to think he's helping.  Or he's just posing for yet another picture.  He does like to have his picture taken.

Jungle Lord

The latest addition to Matt's pinball collection:

Road trip last night to Ft. Wayne, IN to get the new pinball machine.
No trailer needed...Matt's now a pro at getting the machines to fit in the Durango.




Loincloths are optional while playing.

Dressing Up

I've had a few chances over the weekend to put down the cleaning supplies, change out of my sweats, paint my nails, and actually get dressed up.  Our friends' son was married on Friday.  Thanks to I-69 being closed due to an accident, we barely took our seats before the ceremony began.  Whew!  It was a close one...not that our friends would be surprised if we were late.  Somehow over the years, my earliness and Matt's lateness have caught up with one another and his lateness has risen to become the victor.  The wedding was lovely and we enjoyed the reception...especially Keaton on the dance floor.  It's amazing how alcohol can help a person find his dance moves.  Keaton even danced with me and I didn't have to threaten him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, Matt and I went to my niece's dance recital.  Instead of giving her flowers after the show, I made her these adorable ballerina cupcakes.  She said she likes cupcakes better than flowers.  It was a good call on my part...and I always LOVE a chance to make something pink and girly.

 

 

 

 

Last night, Matt and I went to see Wicked again.  It was fabulous!  Sometimes I think how nice it would be to live in New York City so we could see show after show after show.  But, then I remember all those people and all that noise and all that traffic.  So, in the meantime, I'll just have to be patient and let the shows come to us.  But, they need to come faster!  I enjoyed dressing up and getting out of the house.  Now, I'm back to real life:  spring cleaning and wearing my sweats.

 

 

 

 

 

Bossy

Here's another thing I saw online today that made me laugh.  (And it's absolutely true...just ask my husband and my sisters!)

Math

I saw this posted online yesterday and laughed and laughed because this is EXACTLY how my mind works:

Sleep Deprived

I'm happy to say that Cyrus seems to be feeling better.  But, unfortunately, all the storms we've had over the past 24 hours have left him shaking and quaking...making it impossible for us (and by us, I mean me) to sleep.  Cyrus and I were up all last night.  ALL.NIGHT.  There's not much on TV in the wee hours of the morning.  I can happily say I was strong and didn't buy anything on any of the infomercials we watched.
   



Luckily Cyrus was able to catch a nap between storms yesterday.  
(Oh, and this isn't a posed picture. He uses a pillow like we do. 
I'm really not kidding when I say he doesn't know he's a dog.)




Holy hail!

 

Poor Puppy

Our poor puppy had a rough day at the vet yesterday.  He had five teeth removed that were cracked/chipped and a cyst removed in his neck/shoulder.  He had a rough night with lots of fidgeting and squeaking.  That means that we also had a rough night because he sleeps in bed with us.  He's not supposed to jump, so we pulled the mattress out to the living room as we all tried to get some sleep.  Tried.  Today, he's been cuddling right next to me and has followed me around the house.  I was hoping to get another room cleaned in my spring cleaning blitz, but I think it's better if we just cuddle on the couch instead so he's still.  If we're lucky, we'll even be able to take a little nap.  Yep, I think a nap is on the agenda...especially with the stormy forecast tonight and tomorrow.  There's absolutely no sleeping if it storms.  At least he doesn't squeak when he's scared...he just trembles and makes the whole bed shake with him.


Poor, pathetic puppy.


 

As a scrapbooker, I had to bring some of his shaved fur and teeth home for his scrapbook...his fourth scrapbook.
 

 Hmmmm...I wonder how weird the vet will think I am when I ask for the staples for his scrapbook.



Five pulled teeth + twelve staples = mashed potatoes for dinner!



Luckily the mattress fit in the living room, so he was able to cuddle with me...squeaking and fidgeting all night long.




Someone's ready to take a nap with me on the couch.



Pinball and Even More Pinball

It's been a busy week at the Adams' Homestead.  Let's see...

Matt and I headed over to the Detroit area for the annual Michigan Pinball Expo.  It was...interesting.  There were lots of pinball machines and lots of people.  That meant waiting in line to play every game.  While waiting, I had lots of time to study the people around me.  I found some very interesting people.  There is an entire underground world of over-the-top pinball enthusiasts...and I think some of them only come up above ground from their parents' basements for the expo.  Seriously.  Some of them reminded me of meerkats.  They'd bob their heads around, do a lot of blinking while looking for an open machine, twitch their noses, and then dart across the room.  I had a hard time not telling them to untuck their pinball t-shirt from their khaki pants and never, ever wear white socks with black shoes.  Ever.  Then, I really wanted to find them a girl to talk to.  But, there weren't many girls at the expo and those that were there might have frightened the guys with their multiple tats, piercings, and neon hair color.  Matt and I still enjoyed ourselves, though, and played the new games this year:  The Avengers and The Wizard of Oz.  Matt is a conservative pinball collector, not spending much money on his machines.  But, I have to say, The Wizard of Oz is incredible and might be worth selling a kidney to purchase.

The Wizard of Oz was incredible...definitely my favorite!!
The flippers were ruby slippers (sparkly, of course).  Who wouldn't LOVE that?!

The Avengers was fun to play. 
These games are MUCH brighter, faster, and louder than ours.

We have this game at home, but not all pimped out with the colored LED lights.
Guess what Matt's next project is?



On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant/bar that had lots and lots of pinball machines.
We had dinner and did what else...played even MORE pinball!

 



Matt and his "partner" (adventure racing/training partner, not the other kind...I just need to clarify) took their kayaks out for a nice workout at Yankee Springs.  They enjoyed the sunshine and came back dry, so it was a good day on the water...especially for Matt's maiden voyage in his new kayak.



No water inside the kayak is a good sign he picked a good one!

We watched the national championship basketball game last night from the comfort of our couch.  While we were disappointed to see Michigan lose, it was still a great game!  None of us won any money in the brackets this year, but Matt did pick the winner...Louisville.  Oh well, hopefully one of us does better next year!

 

Cyrus wore his lucky jersey, but it didn't work so much last night.