You get what you get...

I was thinking.....about how I could take this opportunity to fill you all in on the state of things here at Chez Trace, Jeff, Ave & Gav.

About how, 2 weeks ago, Massachusetts was hit with an "unprecedented" and "record setting" rain storm that brought with it MAJOR flooding, road closings, water damage, detours, flooded basements, homes, etc...

About how, in the aftermath of said storm, we realized that the entire downstairs playroom/office carpet was SOPPING wet. And the carpet needed to come up ASAP to prevent potential mold and rid our house of that yucky mildew smell.  And how we thought to ourselves, "Well, let's look at the silver lining here; We've always wanted something different for this room, so let's turn this catastrophe into a great opportunity to (finally) revamp it to our liking." 

And how we went to Lowes for paint & primer and supplies, and Lumber Liquidators for (lots and lots and lots of boxes of) beautiful new Pergo flooring. And how we enlisted the help of approximately 18 various family members, neighbors, and friends for support in such a feat. And how....6 days of ripping up carpet, priming walls, painting walls, disinfecting the floors, laying the new floors.....6 FULL days of help from amazing friends & family....finally resulted in a gorgeous, (semi-finished) room with floors that were glossy. and new. and smelled like delicious, expensive wood floors. (you know, the kind you can see yourself in because they are so shiny. the kind that just beg you to replicate the infamous 'Risky Business' slide-across-the-floor-in-knee-socks scene, just because you can.)

They were beautiful.


And then, how that "unprecedented" storm came back yesterday. With a vengeance. It was angrier than last week. Nastier. Wetter, colder, faster.  Stormier. Just plain mean.

And with a husband away on business, I tried my best to lay sandbags outside our foundation to prevent these brand new, shiny floors from falling victim to Beast of a Storm, part deux.

"Tried" being the operative word in that statement.

Unfortunately, I failed.

And so now, I sit here typing this as good neighbors & friends have come back to our house help salvage what we can.  I hear my husband ripping up the floor boards that, 72 hours ago, he took so much meticulous pride in cutting & laying.

I hear sump-pumps being restored, wet-vacs sucking up water, and disheartened grunts and groans among grown men.  There's no two ways about this...it just plain sucks.


But...like I said at the beginning of this entry, I could tell you all about this....

OR, I could tell you something pretty freakin' adorable, and happy, and warm-&-fuzzy that happened amidst the chaos today.

As I sat defeated on the basement steps, sighing heavily while confirming my suspicions that water had in fact infiltrated once again.... My little girl put her arm around my waist.


"Momma? What's wrong?" she innocently asked.

"Nothing baby, Momma is just upset because we have more water in our floors."

"Momma? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Pinkalicious always says,  'You get what you Get, and you Don't get Upset.'  You always tell me this so I am reminding you now. Don't be upset Momma. It will be okay, I promise. Now can we PLEASE stop being upset, and go upstairs to make a Big-Top cupcake to surprise Daddy when he gets home tonight?!"  


My heart immediately became full and happy as I wrapped my arms around her for a good squeeze. 


"You are absolutely right, Aves," I said. "This is a pretty silly thing to be this upset about, huh?"

She nodded in agreement.

And then, we went upstairs to do this:

In conclusion, a MASSIVE thank-you goes out to my little girl, for reminding me today that sometimes, all you need is a little over-sized cupcake therapy to brighten an otherwise gloomy day.

:-)

...And, he's back!

As much as I love & miss him dearly....there are certain things that are nice about the hubby being away on business for a few days. Namely:

1). Being able to sit on the couch (after the kiddos are in bed) performing an upper-lip wax, while simultaneously (and shamelessly, might I add,) polishing off 1/2 a ream of double-stuff Oreo cookies. (this visual is priceless, no?)

2).  Not worrying about the disgruntled, husbandly sighs of "I can't believe I'm missing Chuck for this garbage!"  as I indulge in such riveting shows as "16 & Pregnant" and TLC's "The Little Couple"...(while finishing up the remaining 1/2 ream of aforementioned cookies.)

3). Not having to change the toothbrush head from his to mine on our Sonicare every morning! (it's the little things, folks...)

4). Being able to sprawl out and have the bed (and all of it's 700-thread count sateen sheet goodness) ALL TO MYSELF for three whole nights- Heaven! As a side-note, nights like this truly make me ponder how we ever shared a TWIN sized bed in college...?!  (*Unless you are my Dad reading this, who probably assumed that his very Catholic, very chaste, very pure daughter only ever shared her college bed with her stuffed animals...Keep the dream alive, Dad. Keep it alive.)

However, on this note, I will also add that Murphy's Law of the husband-less household was in full swing this week as well. This was evident by the fact that I threw my back out AGAIN 12 hours after he left....the garbage had to be taken out (AND the barrels & recycling bins brought back in from the street--ewww, the gross jobs)...the toilet clogged twice (I had to PLUNGE my daughter's floating poop!)....the sink had to be Liquid Plumber-ed...and I heard strange noises on our deck every night around midnight that had me convinced that an escaped convict was attempting a B & E. (I slept with the phone clutched tight in my hands every night for this reason!)  I will say, I was very successful at trucking right along through all of this, (mostly with the help of pain meds for the back,) and managed to hold down the fort quite impressively over the past few days solo. Oh and also, I wasn't coup d'état-ed by my children, which was a definite concern slash possibility. (hey, I am outnumbered now, anything's possible!) And speaking of those kiddos? They were remarkably well-behaved and absolutely adorable every single day.  Literally. I might even venture to say that I sort of enjoyed our little time without Daddy...just the three of us  :-)

But alas, hubby has made it home safe & sound tonight, and so it's back to the same old, same old. Back to the routine. Back to the grind... And yes, even back to the covert, Oreo-less, mustache-waxing routine in the confines of el bano.

All worth it though, to have home safe & sound the man whose hugs still make my heart skip a beat-- and who makes 4 days apart feel like 4 years. Welcome home Jeffster!  :-)

New Year's revelation by my dear hubby:

(Allow me to set the scene for you: 11:57 pm on December 31st, we are perched comfortably on our couch in jammies with Dick Clark's New Year's Eve spectacular on TV)
Hubby: "Wow, guess what I just realized?" (takes my hand in his as he asks this. Note: I am anticipating an emotional, endearing statement about how much time has elapsed since we've been together, how many more decades he wants to spend as my husband, or something equally adorable & romantic)
Me: "What's that?"
Hubby: "(smirking) "The next time we enter a new decade, you'll be almost FORTY!!! Holy crap! Ha!"



3....2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Scary thought of the week:

Jeff & I have officially become "those people" who yell & angrily pump our fists at high school kids driving "too damn fast" in the neighborhood when our kiddos are riding their bikes... Wow, we are literally turning into Jayne & Larry, YIKES.

A day late and no wait!

So after the 4+ months I've endured of nausea, vomiting, inability to keep food down, aversions to most smells, and "all day" sickness, we knew that a nice meal was in order once I was feeling better. Lucky for us, this happened to coincide with Valentine's Day this year. However, given that (most) other couples have plans on Valentine's Day itself, we decided to employ a sitter for the day after V-day, and celebrate then. Now this was fantastic for a few reasons:
1). Absolutely NO ridiculous waits/lines!
2). No hiked menu prices!
3). Our pick of the litter as far as restaurant options!

Jeff suggested Capital Grille, but for some (pregnant) reason, I had a bloomin' onion on the brain and couldn't shake this craving, so when all was said and done, The Outback it was. It felt incredible to eat the most tender, yummy, perfectly seasoned steak and steamed vegetables, and garlic mashed potatoes-- and keep it all down! Furthermore, it is always a treat these days to eat at an establishment without crayons, plastic tablecloths, and free balloons upon exit. As much as I love my little girl, it was so relaxing not to have to cut someone else's food into 67 pieces before enjoying my own. (and on that same note, I actually enjoyed my meal hot!)

All in all, we had a nice, relaxing evening out and a wonderful dinner. Here's a few pictures of us all dolled up-- (we clean up nice, no?) Me rocking the 5 months pregnant look, and Jeff rocking the Zoolander, per usual. Happy Valentine's Day!