Love Construction: End-of-the-Year Project

 

It's been snowing for days!  Looking out our kitchen window.

Well, here is my obligatory end-of-2012 post.  It goes a little something like this:

I began 2012 as a 2nd year law student living in Columbus, Ohio.  I ended 2012 as the Corporate Environmentalist (official title is Sr. Environmental Engineer...although I am NOT a real engineer) for a multi-billion dollar international company in Akron/Canton, Ohio.  I've had ups and lots of downs.  Happy moments and sad moments. Good and bad.  My family continues to be chaotic, unpredictable, and stressful, but we're healthy and we have fun; that is life as a mother, environmentalist, wife, and student (I'm still in school, just a different program).  So there it is, 2012.

Ok...end of obligatory end-of-2012 post.

Eleven days just came and went - flew by.  Fact: Time goes faster when you're on vacation.  This fact is supported by my own observations of time slowing at about 2 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon and the last three weeks of a pregnancy.  Fact.
Side note:  The kids and Scott and I are completely off schedule:  Staying up late/sleeping in.  Here are the kids all comfy and cozy in our bed.  Scott and I were forced to sleep on the couch because they wouldn't give up our room.

My time off has been spent finally getting our new house in order.  Enter stage left...Love Construction.  Oh man!  The past few days of a joint painting project have. been. eventful.  Apparently Scott thinks he is some sort of painting master.  An HGTV expert. Me on the other hand, like any project, I do it to get done.  Minor imperfections don't really bother me, while a small drip will nag at Scott relentlessly.  Me, I just move on.  I really do think I'm a fine painter, also supported by facts.  Fact:  We have owned three homes and rented two in the nine years we've lived together.  I have painted 80% of the our walls.  Now, I realize that this does not equal "paint master", but I figure I must be pretty good if I've painted that much.  Fact.

So Scott and I end our mini vacation and 2012 with a few level 3 fights and a possible level 4, BUT our house is really starting to look good and (luckily) we only have a few more walls to paint.  Thank goodness!  Here is to a level-5-free 2013!

                               I stopped painting where I could safely reach.  Hmm...what's wrong with that??

Megan

A Very Merry Holiday

                        (Christmas morning, looking down into the living room from the upstairs balcony)

Christmas blew up in my house.  Overnight.  Just like that.  We went from being just another house on a cold winter day to full-blown Christmas.   

As a family, we technically don't celebrate Christmas.  We are an interfaith family that mostly follows the Jewish faith.  But even before our decision to follow Judaism, Christmas was not Scott and I's favorite holiday.  We've had one tree in ten years together.  That's just how we roll.  We enjoy friends, good food, and some drinks around the holidays.  Not so much on the stressing about gifts, crowded stores, or lugging out Christmas decorations.  We are much more relaxed people and prefer a much more relaxed December.  You may be thinking, "WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS???"  The kids are JUST fine!   (See pics below!)

My kids don't really get into the whole Santa thing and don't really seem to miss it.  They are pretty happy receiving multiple gifts from multiple grandparents and learning about the meaning of this time of year.

Despite our efforts to not play Santa, Scott and  I panicked last night as Aida said, "I can't wait to see what Santa brings!"  What!?!?!  We were totally unprepared for this whole Santa thing.  We had a room full of gifts, but they were all from the grandparents.  We started scrambling.  I made a big sign/card from Santa and some "Santa Bucks".  I sprinkled glitter all over the fire place and floor.

This morning...not a word about Santa.  #fail #overreaction #stickwithyouroriginalplan

So Santa, showed up with some Santa Bucks and glitter, but the kids didn't seem to notice.  They were completely satisfied with the mound of gifts from Mimi and Grandpa.  We plan on taking them shopping with their Santa Bucks.  At least they have a story to tell their friends at school and when they're 27.  Our kids will look back, put this all togehter, and think "Really?". 

But overall, I'm extremely ok with Christmas finding my home.  Even Santa's botched effort to put something together last minute.   

 

Christmas Eve at my dad's house (yes, those are 45s on their tree)

Great reaction to getting clothes !

                                                                           My dad with Ivie!

So...

Happy Chanukah!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

Megan