Ruth Reflections Journal: July 2009

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Don't massage unidentified bags

Today Micah and I were heading out to the library. On the way out, I threw some trash away and then saw a little grocery bag bundled beside the trash can. I didn't know what it was, so I picked it up and started to feel out what the objects were inside.

Shouldn't have done that.

All of a sudden I remembered something I had seen yesterday - my mother-in-law scooping dog poop in the backyard. I promptly put the bag down - I had been feeling canine feces!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Jumbo Crayons

Micah has a tendency to take crayons, place his little hands on either end and snap them in two. Before he gets through the whole box of crayons, I decided to save the remaining few and bought him a box of "jumbo crayons" instead. I thought that should remedy the problem. Turns out he's stronger than I thought! He got to the yellow one before I could stop him from using his strength against it...

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dune Buggy Day

For the life of me, I COULD NOT fall asleep on Saturday night (and that's not like me - I usually pass out the second my head hits the pillow). My mind was racing with all that we'd still like to get done on the house before we actually move in, and I was trying to think the projects to completion (not working). My sweet husband could tell I was having trouble falling asleep and I told him why, and he suggested maybe I'm getting the "nesting" instinct...I think he might be right about that (even though, no, I am NOT pregnant). :-) He then went on to say that we wouldn't do any work on the house the next day, but we'd have a Ruth family adventure instead (we love those)! That actually helped me ease up my working mind and fall asleep. The next morning, before church, Scotty planned out a surprise adventure, and I started getting super excited about it.

Micah snoozing on the way:

First glimpse of our family adventure - the dunes we were about to conquer:

Enjoying chocolate dipped soft serve ice cream while waiting for our reservation time on the dune buggy:

Killing more time, at a toy store:

Getting Micah some shades for the dunes:

Getting strapped in real tight:

Out on the dunes!! Micah had that poker face nearly the whole time - he was such a chill little trooper, though we hit some massive jumps and dips (he did make an occasional peep on those):

Getting ready to switch drivers (Scotty and I both had a blast at the wheel):

Back at the parking lot after 90 minutes of fun:

I must admit, I never would have seriously considered this sport as a Ruth family adventure, but it really worked out just fine! Micah was a great rider, and it was nice to steal away for a bit in one of Michigan's many places for recreational fun.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Surprises

Scotty and I have been homeowners for just over a week now, and though we're not yet living in our new house, we're often there getting things ready to move in (the past week was all about tearing down wall paper). In the process of getting acquainted with every nook and cranny of our home, we've found some unexpected things.

An avocado green fridge (from the 1970's?) left on a linoleum floor for years and years left a burn mark...

The wallpaper we've been peeling off the walls in the kitchen/dining area was not the first wallpaper to ever kiss these walls (only a few spots had remnants of what once was, like this small portion up by the ceiling)...

The flooring under the old multicolored green shag carpet in our basement may actually have asbestos underneath it (we still need to get a professional's opinion about it)...

When we pulled out the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom (to remove yet more wall paper), we found a message from 1960 (the year the house was built), as well as a signature and date from '73 and '77. You better believe we'll be signing our names with a 2009 date on it before we put that cabinet back in...

We had our air ducts cleaned today, and I heard some rumbling go through their large hose-vacs, which sounded like marbles. Turns out, we had some marbles in our ducts. Guess some kids have lived here before...

We have taken down SIX different types of wallpaper (not including the fragments of the wallpaper gone before in the kitchen).

We have peeled up THREE different kinds of contact paper in misc. cabinets and drawers throughout the house (don't you just love the cow one - so fitting for me).

We have encountered FOUR different kinds of random linoleum pieces in kitchen and bathroom cabinets (kept the actual cabinets in real good condition)!

Being a homeowner of a 49-year old home has proven to be fun and adventurous (and I didn't even elaborate on the super cool old dryer that still works, the ancient furnace which we may be able to sell as an antique once it dies, etc)! :-)