good birthday and new walls

Because Jeff is so great, he started smearing on the joint compound in our closets as a test run. Holy smokes. We have smooth walls, guys!! They look so great. Next step is to sand, then apply a second coat, then sand, prime and paint. It's going to take awhile to do the whole place, but it'll be so much less messy (and easier!) than scraping off the texture. Which, for the record, really is that bad. But we want to bring this place into a more modern era and get more money out of it as a rental!

Yesterday my dear friends Jen and Kortney took me to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I love CB for Dolly Parton, the rocking chairs out front, the country store. The food can be hit or miss. But where else can you get biscuits and gravy, 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, grits, hashbrown casserole and fried apples for less than $8? Seriously! We were all stuffed!

Then we went to this NASTY estate sale that looked oh-so-tempting online. The 'SOLD' sign out front coupled with the unkempt yard made me think, 'Either an old person lived here and they died, or someone nasty lives here.' Unfortunately, it was the latter. As soon as we stepped inside the front door, a mix of putrid scents hit us like a heatwave. Pet urine, fecal matter, mold, rotting food--it was all mixed up in that smell. The lady behind us said, "I don't think I can do this." Neither did we, but the insides of this house gave good enough promises that we had to stay. The thick layer of pet hair covering the floor's entirety made me wish I was wearing close-toed shoes. We walked around with our fingers under our noses. I wished I had some lotion I could use as a scent buffer. One of the ladies running the sale approached us and kindly said, 'There are napkins on the kitchen table,' and a few seconds later, she left and reappeared with a stack for us. The stench still lingers in my nostrils.

Despite the decrepit conditions, the house proved to have a few gems, like the glass deviled egg plate Jen bought, or the MCM entertainment console I would have snagged had the sliding accordion-ish door not split in half as I tried to pull it shut. The owner (who was lounging on the couch in the main room as people meandered through her home--so bizarre) also had a 10-place setting set of some gorgeous Fire King dishware. That stuff goes for $$$$ at the antique fairs out here!

Then we went to Ulta. That place is ... all right. Too much for me.

Then I got home, and Jeff and I drove down to Galveston and went on the dolphin tour! It was so rad. I loved watching the pelicans dive head-first into the water. And the dolphins, they were so beautiful. What amazing creatures! What a fun boat ride! It started storming while we were out on the water, so we decided to turn home instead of going on that swing ride over at the Pleasure Pier (still upset we couldn't go, but who wants to be soaked through from rain on their birthday?). Then we went to Outback, because for some reason, Jeff's parents think I really like it so they send me a gift card to Outback for my birthday every year. 

Last night I spent three hours writing a talk for Sacrament Meeting that I didn't even use. Not even one piece of it. But it went better than it would have had I used it and I'm glad it's over.

Now I have homemade strawberry pie in the fridge. You know, I make everything homemade because I like knowing what goes in my food. So it's a whole wheat pie crust, with homemade strawberry glaze over the strawberries. Heck yeah yummy!! Can't wait to try it.

coming along

We made a decision about the wall texture, or rather, we have a step one. Tomorrow (also my birthday--Lisa, it's your birthday. Happy birthday, Lisa) I will purchase a bucket of joint compound at Home Depot, as well as one of those scraper trowel things, and give it a go in our closet. All we have to do is scrape a few layers of joint compound over every wall and ceiling surface in our entire house, and then we will have smooth walls. Yay! YouTube makes every DIY project possible.

Anyone ever spray-painted metal folding chairs before? We've got two I'd love to see a new color, instead of the bland taupe they currently are.

My friend Jen dyed my hair last night. It is so dark. I don't recognize myself.

I wish I could tell you Jeff and I are doing something fun for my birthday, but with school starting Monday (both his work and his Masters) I think just dinner out will have to suffice. Oh and also we are speaking in church Sunday, so I guess we get to write talks too.

(Note to parents: Please don't ever have a child right at the end of summer. Your child's birthday will always be overshadowed by last minute summer vacations, or school prep, or any other of the gazillion obligations that arise right before the school year. No one will ever be able to come to their birthday parties, and they will give up even having a birthday party because it's too sad to have no one come. Please, don't do it).

At least I will always have Michael.

Happy Birthday Lisa from Gautham Ganesan on Vimeo.

I want to be a Roche

with this song.

live version:



studio version:




Both so exquisite.

Settling

We have lived in our new house for almost a month. Actually, we have been out of town a lot of that time, but we are so happy to be in the new place. Horror story of horrors: We got the keys the night before we left out of town for ten days. So Monday night, Jeff installed new locks on the doors while I cleaned the house. We laid down plastic so the movers could walk freely and we wouldn't worry about their dirty shoes (I come from a strict 'no shoes' household so naturally I'm continuing the rule). At 8 am the next morning, the movers moved us out of  our apartment and into the new place. If you've never used movers, you need to. It was well worth the money to watch someone else sweat in this insane heat. And it's almost comical how strong they are, and how easily they lift and carry the boxes I think are most awkward. After they finished unloading the truck, we showered up and left our new home, all boxed up but safely locked inside.

The trip to California (my childhood home) was filled with highs and lows. My brother coming home from his mission was a definite high. He is a man now. I love and respect him so much. We went down to Disneyland--another high. It was so fun. We stayed in Newport Beach, and that was really pretty. I'll spare you the lows. I am grateful the lows happened. When difficult things happen in life (especially in relationships) and I'm able to process and learn from them, I always come away feeling refreshed and like more of a whole person. This trip gave me that. As always, I was so happy to have my Jeff by my side. He is my match in every way.

But the house. We love our neighborhood. We have a two-car garage (no more bird poop!). We have more square footage. There is no Home Depot (or any commercial establishment) in sight. Overall, we love our new digs and are so happy to be living here for the next few years. We are hoping to rent it out once we outgrow it, which hopefully won't be for five years. Now the hardest part is decorating. What color should we paint it? What furniture should we get? What fixtures should we replace and which should we keep? One cosmetic flaw is the textured walls. Ick. We can spend days scraping, or leave them as is--we're leaning toward the latter. I have to keep reminding myself that we won't live here forever, so it doesn't have to be perfect.  Right now the walls are whitish with a peachy-tan undertone depending on the light. From far away I don't see the texture at all. One worry I have is when we do paint, will the color make the texture more pronounced? Anyone know? Anyone want to come give me design tips? Free hardwood flooring? Anyone?

Buying a house is just too much work.