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It seems very ironic that Spring Break ended with snow but hey, it could have been worse. At least is has melted for now and even better, my house is quiet once again. Whoo hooo! You know how babies get over stimulated and get that wide eyed, frantic look on their faces? Yes, that was me for the majority of last week while Gen's friend was here. Gone are the shrill screams, the chases up and down the stairs, and the late night chattering. I do like my peace and quiet... almost to a fault. So last night as it was snowing and I sat in front of a roaring fire with my blankie, my book (that I should have finished weeks ago), and a Boulevard Wheat I couldn't help but think "Aaaah yeeeeah... this is the stuff."

Next on the agenda; softball practice, batting lessons, track meet, softball practice again, dance lessons, a slumber party, a softball tournament, a visit from my mom ... and then it's Sunday. Ugh!

The gradual remodel of this house falls right in line with my own personal "remodel" and my on going theme of throwing out the old and bringing in the new. Sometimes it feels really GREAT to tear some shit up, throw it out on the curb, and smile contently as it disappears knowing you're never going to see it again. I'll admit, I've had a few bad relationships end this way and I've also been the one put on the proverbial curb. Such is life people.

Saving the World: One Ugly Bathroom at a Time!

Here's the BEFORE shot.


I never did figure out what the hell the dealio was with the excep-tionally low vanity and the odd looking kitchen cabinet that is now extra storage in the garage.

All I do know is I loved demo'ing this room to make way for ......


these AFTER shots!

Back in December we replaced another low vanity in the downstairs bath.

That room was finally finished out a couple weekends ago.

New Buds and Best Buds

Forget all the astronomical mumbo jumbo about determining the date for the vernal equinox. THIS is really how you determine the first day of spring!

I am certifiably...

INSANE!

As an early birthday present I arranged to have one of Gen's best friends from Clay come stay with us this whole week for Spring Break. So now I have TWO 13yr old girls who I believe share one brain. I really started to worry when I saw the extended forecast and it called for rain all week. The thought of being trapped in the house with them scared the hell out of me because gnats have a greater attention span. So far they have gone swimming, checked out Mass Street, terrorized my crazy neighbor lady with a laser cat toy, (that's a whole other story), and today are running amuck at Clinton Lake.

In addition, Dan and I played weekend warriors (against his better judgment) and remodeled my master bath this past weekend in between trips to Clay, March Madness, and preparing his gear to be gone for a week. I just wanted to get the bathroom functional so I could finish all the little stuff on my own. After three late nights it is fully functional and actually pleasingly pretty. Now to tackle my long list of "little stuff" so it doesn't look like I've been sitting on my ass all week. Maybe I can get the crazy twins to paint for me. On second thought, scratch that. I'm not that insane.... yet.

"Play Ball!"

Our softball season officially started this past weekend in, of all places, Missouri. As soon as I crossed the state line I felt my IQ drop and four teeth fell out. Okay maybe not but it was the last place I wanted to be while the Big 12 Championship game was going on. To compound things I couldn't find a radio station broadcasting the game so I had to rely on texts and ESPN mobile updates every 15 seconds. Of course the whole reason I was there was to watch Gen play so everything else was secondary. (Yes, I actually said that my kid was more important than a KU game. Mark it down)!

The girls participated in an indoor tournament; a first for our young team. It was held on the Western Missouri University campus in the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex. This complex is an indoor football field and just happens to be the summer home for the KC Chiefs.

Playing softball on a field marked for football proved to be a little tricky. With the paint and the lighting, some of the girls had trouble locating third base. As for us spectators, we were seated in the outfield so this was our view the entire time.

Sitting there I couldn't help but think, "Matt Casold has sweated on this field" however I did resist the urge to roll around on the turf.

Teenager: Free to a good home... or just a home.

For those of you who are not yet blessed with a hormonal, pubescent, teenage child...I can't wait for you to join those of us living the misery and be sure to hold onto your hats AND your pocket book! I'm purposely and defiantly using those words because if Gen heard me say that she would roll her eyes like a toad in a hail storm, curl up her mouth, and look at me like I'm speaking "troll." (Sorry but I had to get a Charlie Sheen reference out of the way). My loving, respectful baby girl has morphed into an opinionated, self-centered, 82 lb, label obsessed mouth-piece in dire need of an ass-whoopin'. I like to think I'm out smarting her with words and sometimes when she just sits and fumes with that puzzled WTF look on her face, I start to think I'm "WINNING!" (Okay, that was the last one I promise). She wants me to treat her like a young adult by giving her more freedom yet still do all the little TLC things that a younger child needs. I have a feeling love is fixin' to get a little tougher here while we both figure this thing out. Oh no! I just realized I only have three years to get this shit figured out before Syd turns on me!

Mixed signals

Finally! A "safe place" to get videoed while receiving a reach-around! This town really does have it all.

A few weeks ago I went a tad bit crazy and bought four pairs of shoes in one afternoon. My girls are not phased by the words, "Mommy's had a hard day. I need shoes" however in my defense this time I got in on a killer sale! So this morning it was finally warm enough to break them out of the box and as I was admiring my new black wedges with the peep toe, my smartass twelve year-old says, "Hmm.. they make you look old-fashioned." What the...?  No they don't! I promptly corrected her by letting her know that I am not old-fashioned; I'm vintage! Vintage 1971 baby! 

A week ago Gen joined the junior high track team and practice starts Monday. I keep telling her she needs to do this and that; stop drinking caffeine, start running, etc. or she's going to be hating life next week. Of course I know absolutely nothing and she will be fine because, "I'm young mom." Okay, whatever. We will see.

Tonight after work we had planned to go for a run so Dan, Gen, and I did just that. As Gen took off ahead of us full speed I snickered and wondered aloud where we would eventually find her lifeless body laying in the grass. She never did let up and consistently stayed a good 200 meters in front of us the entire route. Once she did stop and waited briefly on a park bench for us to catch up but that was just so she could taunt us with "slow poke" comments then off she went. She made it back to the house long before we did; no stretching, no cool down and as my calves began to cramp all I could think was how much that ticked me off. Don't get me wrong, I really do hope that next week goes well for her. I want her to love track and enjoy the experience as much as I did when I was her age.

Yep, I'm vintage alright and on the fast track to being an antique.