J'Espere

This post is not about our house, just as a warning. You are about to delve into the mind of an educator who believes in public education, in the right to that education, and also believes that if you are able, you should be helping the needy. So I'm talking politics today. Just remember I'm not an expert, I just believe that everyone should get and deserves a good education. I dread Thursdays because I know I'll find out what happened in the Legislature on Wednesday, and no matter how hard I pray it seems that it always ends up being bad news overall. Like passing the initial vote on the motorcycle helmet law (I can't even write about it without getting angry), or deciding that Water quality in some parts of NC is too high a priority so we're going to pass a law to literally lower standards for drinking water. But I think the School Voucher Debate takes the cake. First, I'll touch on my understanding of the school voucher (please, correct me if I...

The above photos are the befores. It was right after we bought the house, before demo began and when we believed this project was not only completely doable but totally going to be worth it. On my optimistic mornings I still believe that but currently I question the rationale, especially as the baby kicks me. I believe her athletic future is great. Anyway, back to the photos. What you have is the way the kitchen looked when we purchased. It's not the original kitchen- it was most likely redone in the 80s when some things were replaced in other parts of the house and then never touched again. But the concept fascinates me. Hopefully you can see that even the ceiling is wallpapered in blue gingham. The second photo is of the sunroom directly off the kitchen and dining room. Why, yes m'am, those ARE real Confederate bonds that are the backs of the shelves! Matt and I would be rolling in cash had the "Great Conflict" come to a different end. Of course if it had I h...

When I opened my 32 week email, I had no idea what a jicama was (pronounced hi-ca-ma) but apparently it’s a large root vegetable, used primarily in Central America, and weighing an impressive 3.75 pounds. What this means is I have close to 4 pounds of baby, and about 16” in there. First reaction: Yay! She’s growing and healthy! Second reaction: Oh, No! Isn’t she supposed to at least double this over the next 7-8 weeks? We are in the single digits, people, and reality is setting in. We went through childbirth education classes over the past two weeks and determined that they let you out of the hospital with next to nothing. But Sweden has a recovery center where you can go for up to 3 weeks after the child is born to do just that, and learn about taking care of your baby under the watchful guidance of nurses and consultants. They will also cook your meals and do laundry for you. What’s up, United States- why aren’t you on top of this? When I went to the doctor this week, the reality b...

We were in the house, admiring the sheetrocking and the framing of walls to come. I was comfortably in a camping chair in the living room while Matt wandered around, testing things, looking at things, trying to figure out how we were ever going to get ourselves to a point where we move in to this beast. “The water’s back on!” came an excited shout from the upstairs bath along with the sound of running water. “Yay!” I responded, studying paint colors (who knew there could possibly be so many shades of white?) “That’s so exciting!” “What the….?” Was the next statement to come from upstairs, followed by things that I’m not posting on the internet. “What’s going on?” I called. “They didn’t reattach the drain under here!” So all the water was just going into the vanity. This after we were just discussing ways to salvage the upstairs vanity and make it at least sort of decent while waiting for our lotto money to come in. One step forward…how many steps back? When pulling down ...

We are in the home stretch, officially. No turning back now. Last night Matt and I went to our first childbirth education class. They are offered by this nurse in her home, and 6 couples come in per session. It’s amazing to me that you meet these complete strangers, then you realize that you are going to be sharing the intimate, frightening details of childbirth with them. The plus side is the expectation that your partner will practice giving you back massages, which I am definitely a fan of. There is definitely a point where you realize that the baby is coming, whether or not you’re prepared for it. I was really fascinated by what I heard the other parents say they were worried about or thought they needed or anything. Or, actually, what I didn’t hear them say. For instance, I’m pretty sure that when our instructor asked if we had fears and concerns I was the only one who raised my hand. Which means, they are either lying or in denial. I mean, you’re getting ready to give birth t...