Signed, Sealed, Delivered

The house is ours! As of 9 o'clock this morning, Ryan and I are the proud owners of a sweet little Victorian home. The purchasing process took a little longer than expected due to competitive offers and leaky pipes.

This morning things went smooth, except for one thing: the length of my name. My name is so long, it does not fit on any of the official documents. I have been reduced to the fine print. Somewhere in an addendum to the offer to purchase it says that I too am a buyer.

At the closing however, my name was nowhere to be found. Supposedly they are going to type it in later, under my signature. Oh well, at least I have the keys...

Chip Or Dale?

Look who we found hanging out in the garage, chewing on insulation, and helping himself to the All You Can Eat Bird Seed Buffet.

Nothing Lost, Nothing Gained

A couple of weeks ago I went on a diet for the first time in my life. Summer is upon us which means shorts, tank tops, and bikinis are part of my wardrobe once again. Several ladies at the casino were talking about a very effective diet, based on a chemical reaction brought on by what you eat. They swear by it. And truth be told, you can tell they are losing weight.

My mother-in-law and I decided to join in on the fun. And I even took it one step further; I quit smoking at the same time. If I was going to mess with my metabolism, I might as well do it right. Those first three days were hard. Very hard. Not so much the not smoking, although I did have a hard time focusing after 2 PM, but the hunger... All I could think about was food. No doubt fueled by the fact I was no longer suppressing my appetite with nicotine.

I did not lose the promised ten pounds that first week, or any week thereafter for that matter, but I did lose some. More importantly, I did not gain any. Had it not been for my diet, I would have snacked non-stop those first few days after quitting smoking. I still diet three days a week and lose about six pounds, most of which I eat back on again during the four days I can eat what I want. I don't think this particular diet is really for me.

To be honest, I am not the dieting kind. I just need to watch my portions, make sure I eat more veggies, and get moving. Lack of exercise is my main problem. I guess we're breaking out the Richard Simmons records tomorrow morning...

Nature Updates

The thousands of trilliums alongside the road have made room for the lupines. Beautiful, bountiful, blue lupines. There are wild columbine growing in the woods around us and every time I go to cut some chives, I have to fend off the bumble bees.

Lola has been catching and kissing frogs. Repeatedly. So far, no prince.

The water in the lake is six inches higher than it was last year. What a difference that makes. We have even put in the dock. Not off our side, the water is still too shallow for that, but a little bit further out. At least we can enjoy the pontoon boat this summer.

Ryan has decided to single-handedly populate the lake with turtles. Every time he sees one crossing the road, he stops and brings it home. Lola is tickled. Not sure about the turtles.

My one strawberry plant is looking good. Last year, a deer ate our strawberries, all but one. This year we have moved it to the fenced garden. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of deer, they are everywhere. They stand in the middle of the road, chatting with each other, oblivious of oncoming traffic. You have to come to a full stop almost and honk your horn to get them to move.

Lola has scolded me twice now for doing just that. She thinks I should stop the car, get out, and politely say Excuse me to the deer. Or chipmunk. Or whatever animal is sitting in the middle of the road.

Ryan has passed Lola in bear sightings. So far, he has seen eight bears. All mothers with cub(s). We're jealous.

And just this morning, as I was having breakfast, I saw the two Great Horned Owls that live in the neighbor's woods fly by. So very impressive!

Dandelions

Yellow as far as the eye can see

Toddler Talk V

Lola: "Can I take a bath? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease."
Me: "No honey, you already took a bath this morning."
Lola: "But I did three push ups!"

Lola: "I love you. You are the best mom in the whole world! You can make computers, you can make houses, you can maaaaaake............ snacks."
Me: "Um..., thanks!"

Lola, wearing new purple and pink swim goggles: "When I wear my swim goggles, are my cousins gonna think I look silly?"

Lola: "Mama, you know what? You are my favorite girl."

Lola: "Mama. When it's spring time day, the green ones... that talk..., what are they called again?"
Me: "Um..., frogs? Leprechauns?"
Lola: "Yes, leprechauns! They make the snow go away."

Lola: "Let's play I am the mom and you are the honey."

Lola: "My hand hurts."
Me: "What's wrong with it?"
Lola: "It hurts when I go like this." [Pushes her fingers backwards towards her wrist.]
Me: "Well, don't do that then."
Lola: "I am having a rough day."

Nativity set = Activity set
Co-workers = Work friends

Gone Fishing

Winners Of Strange Contests

I just read on the Dutch news that the greater Eindhoven region has been awarded the Intelligent Community of the Year 2011 prize by the Intelligent Community Forum. For those of you who have never heard of Eindhoven; it is a large city in the south of Holland, and home to Philips headquarters, of television and light bulb fame.

I did not know this particular competition existed before I read that interesting bit of news. I do know people like to compete for the strangest titles and awards. Even in our family.

The other day when we were out and about looking for a place to live, we wandered around on a property and emerged covered in ticks. After the tick count was complete, Ryan came out the winner. I must have pulled fifteen ticks off him that afternoon, and at least ten off Lola. Strangely enough not a single one was found on me.

When it comes to bear sightings, we are all in agreement that Lola has seen more black bears these last two years than anyone else.

But where moving is concerned, I am the absolute winner. When we move into this cute little Victorian home later this month, it will be the twenty fifth time in my life that I have moved house. TWENTY FIVE MOVES. That's a little more than once every other year.

For the next five years, I am not going anywhere. Wild horses cannot drag me.