Saturday, November 24, 2007

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Mortar, Muscle and Moments


This past month was very busy. With the aid of my trusty chisel and safety glasses, I demoed our green tile countertops. Destruction was never so gratifying. For weeks we lived with plywood countertops as I was waiting for the granite tile to arrive. My original plans became more elaborate as I added a dresser and desk both salvaged from our neighbors' trash. The dresser is now my kitchen island and the desk a much needed work station. I feel like I've gained some arm muscles mixing 80 pounds of mortar. It is like trying to stir peanut butter with a toothpick. I was overly ambitious and thought my project would be done by now. My revised deadline is December. I still have moulding to miter and nail up, grout to smear and paint to somehow apply behind our refrigerator, etc.


The night before Ben and I escaped for a weekend in San Antonio, the kids went trick-or-treating around our circle. Since they dress up nearly everyday...not as much thought went into their costumes but they were extremely excited to show them off. Jane was Elmo. Emily was Snow White. Fritz was the Black Knight. And Alex was a policeman.


Why were we in San Antonio? Ben had a foot and ankle conference there and I gratefully tagged along. So while he learned about fixing metatarsals I shopped for cooler footwear. It was incredibly hot at 83 degrees and I had only brought running shoes. And without four kids, I just happened to find a few other special things. The conference site was a beautiful resort with custom carpets, limestone fireplaces and extensive grounds. As I sat in a rocking chair on the veranda reading, brides and grooms-to-be planned their weddings on the back lawn. Though I brought my camera I forgot to take pictures. Very me. One of the biggest highlights of our trip was eating real Mexican food and cementing the fact that Texas is calling Ben. When it snowed a few days ago on our return, even I heard the boot stomping getting louder. And let me clarify it wasn't snow boots.



A face of iron resolve.



Photos from my blogging absence in October.