Date Weekend

This guy and I are off on a weekend getaway. Two nights, by ourselves. What ever will we do?

How to get rid of your husband's ugly chair.

I bought this recliner at a garage sale for my husband on the day that we moved in to our very first house.

Sidenote: the house was in a sketchy area but the neighborhood was one that was turning....uhh....never did turn. We got out just in time.

But, this very ugly plether recliner has survived through 2 dogs, 3 houses and 3 children.

But, it was time to say good bye. It had to go. For the love of all that is holy, this chair needed to leave my house. Pronto.

I prepared him.

Me: Honey, maybe we should think about replacing the recliner with something a little more scaled down in size. It doesn't really fit in our house. It's just so big.
Stubborn: No.

This went on for a few months. That's what I do. I just break him down until he just can't take it anymore and he gives in. Eventually he loves everything that he has given in to. For example, kitchen cabinets, white trim, wood stairs, laminate floors, painted walls, barn wood table....the list goes on.

Tear him down, then build him back up. It's like the marine corp around here.

Fast forward a few months later (This past Friday).

Me: (Calling him at work, no less.) It's time to say goodbye to the brown chair. I'm taking the brown chair to Goodwill.
Him: I can't talk about this right now. (He had to pee.)

Him: (Calling me back.) You may only take it to Goodwill if I have complete control over the replacement.
Me: You can pick it as long as it is something that I approve.
Him: Well then I'm not really picking it am I?
Me: No, no you're not.
Him: Well then you may not get rid of my chair.
Me: (Silence)

Uhh-huh.

I took this broke down, beat up, heavy, clunk of crap and loaded it in the van by myself. Hauled it to Goodwill and they said, "We can't take this. It's in too bad of shape." Huh. Yes, those are the exact words he used. I was angry. I huffed off with my bungie cord-strapped tail gate and went to the next place. My least favorite thrift store to purchase things. They took it no problem and will probably sell it for more than I paid for it over 8 years ago.

So there.

It was the first thing he noticed when he got home. But didn't mention it until later that evening.....he wasn't THAT upset. He really wants a new chair!

So,

Goodbye ugly brown plether recliner. Off to the land of frat boys and bachelor pads with you. Enjoy your new life. Farewell. Godspeed.

xoxo

Happy Birthday Hubs.

Today this hottie turned....well, a year older than last year. In honor of his birthday the boys wanted to make him a pie. Pumkin pie. So we did. He wanted mexican food for supper, so I made my famous enchiladas. His supper consisted of enchiladas and pumpkin pie. Interesting combo for sure!

To sum this man up in one word is easy. Hot. Frustrating. AMAZING. Okay. That's it, he's amazing. 

He is the man that I had dreamed of since the age of 6. Is that when you start pretending to get married?

His head isn't currently shaved. Although, it is still bald. But, that's okay, cause he's a dreamboat.

He loves to have fun with the kids. (That's Porter by the way, about a millions years ago. Tom still has that shirt. Uhhh....he may have a problem with getting rid of things...but that's okay 'cause he's a fantastic man.)

He's a guys guy. (That's him in the brown shirt and his brother behind him.) Although, he doesn't participate in Fantasy Football and stare at ESPN every chance he gets. Instead he looks up Dream Home Source....yeah. We like to dream about that stuff. Go check it out. He's a dork. But that's okay, 'cause he's funny too.

He helps me with projects that I want to do, but he doesn't. Because well, he loves me. And he's the best. And, I've said it before, look at that tush. Sometimes I just like to stare at his ummm...tush. Okay,you can stop.

He helps with the kids a ton. And even does the dishes. 


He is my rock. He keeps me grounded, he keeps my dreams in check and he is the man of my dreams. I could have married a man that doesn't wear socks with holes in them to the airport, remembers to put the toilet seat down, and doesn't forget to turn in his expense reports, but what fun would that be? 


I love you babe. You probably won't read this (ummm...maybe you should start!). Happy Birthday. You rock.

Birdies

So, it's no secret around these parts that I don't really ENJOY birds. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that, well, I watch Alfred Hitchcock when I was in junior high...and ever since....they kinda freak me out. And, you know, bird flu, they eat my grass seed and my flower seed....oh and nevermind the fact that I've been pooped on by a bird. Twice. Not the same bird. Once while rollerblading in high school. AND once while walking to class....in college....the first week...grody.

One of the things that T and I differ on is the love of birds. Obviously he loves 'em. I don't. But, I love him....soooooo, our yard is full of bird feeders.

And, I even went so far as to buy two more feeders just for him.

Then he mentioned that he really wanted a bird bath. Now, that was taking a hobby a little too far....A bath? Really? They are soooo expensive!

So, being the good wife, I thought. And thought. I had a tiny metal base to a side table sitting in the garage all winter waiting.....then the boys and I started looking for a bowl for the "bath" portion and after searching we came up with the bottom portion of a planter.

And here's what we had....

But that color wouldn't do. Because the Orioles really like orange. So we painted it, duh.

And here it is...at night...because I just couldn't wait to show you.

Of course, that's my flower bed right behind it where those crazy birds are eating all my seeds...even though they've got their own!

Back off birds! Hugs and kisses birdies.

Never. Again. Will. I. Paint.The.Foyer.

Hubs hates to paint. So, do you know what I asked him to do on Friday night? Duh.

Well, actually, I didn't ask him, I just started doing it, and he felt guilty enough to help. It's really his own fault.

This was not fun. I've noticed that when I start a project and he doesn't want to do it, we barely talk through the entire thing. So, for two hours we were painting in silence. Seriously. Sometimes when we do projects that need to get done but nobody really wants to do them, one of is on the receiving end of the silent treatment. I know! Can you hardly believe it? The reality is sometimes we argue. There. It's out there. IT HAPPENS!

Here's the final foyer and upstairs. Oh my goodness now the trim totally needs to be painted. Just a few more days of pushing the right buttons on Mr. Don't-touch-the-oak-because-white-is-only-cool-right-now and I'll be painting the trim. Just don't pay attention to that previous post about how I embrace the oak. Neveryoumind.

Doesn't it look dreamy?! It's Behr Antique White in Eggshell. I LOVE IT. Sara at Russet Street Reno used it too. And she's one of my renovation heroes, so I was quite thrilled when she said she used it too! Have you seen her floors? Oh my. And her closet? Wowzer.

Here's my unwilling and protesting, but very handsome and handy hubby helper.

Boy, he's cute.

Look at that tush. No don't! Stop looking at my husband's rear end.

The foyer looks nearly perfect. He helped me with the first coat, then I finished the second on No-nap Monday, but I couldn't figure out how to get to that little corner over the landing. I tried the ladder, the extension rod, the flat thing with the rollers that goes along the ceiling, all to no avail. Any suggestions....besides hiring a pro?

See...I used that flat roller thingy and the previous painters painted a tiny bit on the ceiling and you can see the mustard color. Oh the sheer horror. Whatever will I do? Nevermind everyone suffering in the world - help me!

Okay, here's a before. It's not great. But you can see the yellow. Now quickly look at the next photo....

(Dear ottoman, please come home. We miss you....nevermind that I sold you. You don't belong with that woman that bought all of my refurbished furniture....)

Moving on.

Brighter. More open. Less old smelly hospital, more bright welcoming home.

Stop going back to the photo of my hubby's tush.

8th Anniversary

Today is our EIGHTH Anniversary. EIGHT crazy years. We skipped the seven year itch.

I tried to be very creative here and come up with a countdown....here's what I have so far....

8 years.
7 moves.
6 cities.
5 members of our family.
4 cars.
3 kids.
2 dogs.
1 happy life together. (So cheesy).

Love you baby. Thanks for taking the plunge and marrying a mid-west girl that you could curl up with on cold nights in GF. Sometime I'll write the story of how we met. And how I told him I wasn't home....

Happy Birthday Tom!

Have I ever told you all how much I love my husband? Well I do. He is infuriating, but he makes me laugh on a daily basis and continues to put up with my obsessiveness, my butterfly complex (Tom named it that) and so on and so forth.

I love you baby. Happy Birthday. It's on Thursday. Porter wants me to make him a pumpkin pie...

Getting to know you....

This stuff is flying around Facebook (the bane of my existence), and I just read this particular questionnaire on Dooce, so I thought that everyone, including the boys one day, would like to read about us. In addition, I've decided, in case I die, or the boys want to find out more about what I was like as a young mom, I am going to write the 'List of 25+ random things'. I'm going to keep a running log - it will give me something to do as I sit and wait to get enormous.

I've been struggling with where to take this blog. I can't decide whether to take it on as a place to write my thoughts, whether crazy or sane, or to just keep it as a place to share stories of the boys and have it be, shall I say, PG. What do you think?

Okay, so here are the questions with answers, of course:

What are your middle names?
Mine is Stenehjem - mom's maiden name. His is Matthew - and so is Porter's.

How long have you been together?
We've been married for nearly seven years! Together for nine and one half.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Not long. He tried to call and ask me out once, and I told him I wasn't home. Yes, you read that right; I told him that I wasn't home. I had just started graduate school and didn't think I wanted a relationship. But then a few months later I ran into him at Bonzer's and we started talking. Then went on our first date a few nights later.

Who asked whom out?
Well, he tried first. But then I had to close the deal. I had to redeem myself.

How old are each of you?
I'm 32. He's 36. He was in high school when I was in elementary school. Ha. Ha. Although, we never notice a difference now. I wonder why.....

Whose siblings do you see the most?
I think we see them about equally. Which isn't that much, sadly. Lou lives in Fargo, Sara in NY. His sister is in Lexington, and brother in Indianapolis.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

We actually don't fight very much. However the one thing that we struggle with is his work and my thoughts that he should leave at 5 pm. Nobody really works 9 to 5 anymore. I don't know why I feel so strongly about him working late. I'm pretty sure he does not like me asking about things that need to get done one hundred times a day. But I do it anyway. Go figure.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope. Not a one of them. Seriously, you'd think with all my degrees and all the colleges I've been to, I would have picked a school in Colorado or Wisco, but nope.

Are you from the same home town?

No. Completely different towns. I think Madison is one of the most eclectic towns in the nation. Bismarck, not so much.

Who is smarter?
He would probably say me. I would say, that I am book smart, but I have to try really hard. And I have lots of common sense. But, Tom just knows stuff. He absorbs so much information. It amazes me the things that he knows. Plus, if I don't know something, I make it up. That's a Brown thing. I would say 90% of the time, I get it right.

Who is the most sensitive?
Really? Is there really a question there?

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Eat-out? As a couple? No where. Although one of our favorite places to order food from is Lemongrass Bistro in Oconomowoc, WI.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
San Francisco. New York. Bahamas, Mexico. Minneapolis/Milwaukee is kind of the same distance to all of them, I think....there I go making things up again.

Who has the craziest exes?
I don't know the answer to that. Plus, some of his exes may some day read this. Mine won't. I don't talk to them, because they are crazy. Just kidding. I would say that as an ex you are equally as crazy as the other person's ex, hence the reason for being an ex.

Who has the worst temper?
Ummm. Tom. Hello. When he gets angry, okay not angry, but frustrated, with me, he makes a fist and puts the knuckle of his index finger into his mouth and bites down. I try and count, breathe, remove myself from the situation, counselor stuff.

Who does the cooking?
That's a tough one. I know Tom wishes that he would have a meal ready for him when he gets home, but that's just not a reality in our house. But, when we do have meals, a lot of the time we do it together.

Who is the neat-freak?
Have you seen my closet, or my drawers? Color-coded, by style - have you seen his closet, or his drawers? Okay - wait - I just organized his drawers while he was away for work, so that doesn't count, but it does give the answer to the question. Plus, I line up my M&M's and eat them in a certain order. Please.

Who is more stubborn?
Him. No me. Umm. He's a German Catholic. I'm a Norwegian/Irish Catholic. You pick. Although, I didn't want a minivan, and he did. We drive a Town and Country. Who is more stubborn?

Who hogs the bed?
The dogs. But he snores. I want a king size bed.

Who wakes up earlier?
Tom, he gets ready for work. And then usually brings the boys to me in bed so that we can snuggle, have breakfast and watch Little Einsteins.

Where was your first date?
Blue Moose, Grand Forks, ND. A Sunday evening, December 19th, 1999.

Who is more jealous?

Neither of us are very jealous people. I'm not jealous of all the friends he has that are girls and he could care less about the males I talk to.

How long did it take to get serious?
I thought we were pretty serious right away, but I'm pretty sure Tom didn't think so. I knew we would be together on our first date. Apparently it took him a little while longer to "know".

Who eats more?
Him. Definitely. But, he never gains an ounce. Can't stand that.

Who does the laundry?
I do. ALL OF IT. But, to give him props, he does the dishes and most of the time the garbage.

Who's better with the computer?
I would say we both have computer skills that the other does not. He's an excel whiz.

Who drives when you are together?
Tom. I'm not sure why. I'm a good driver. He just likes to be in control. He makes fun of my driving. And then when he does I start to get nervous about driving. Okay, so he says, he would rather worry about the crazy Wisconsin drivers than have to deal with the screaming kids!

I'm curious if he would answer these questions the same way or differently than I did. I wonder if we'll ever find out?

Morning Ritual

We got a television in our bedroom. This has been a hotly contested issue with Tom and me, but, he gave in and we got one. Now, one of my most favorite times with the boys is in the morning. Tom goes to get the boys from their rooms and he brings them into the bed with me and we snuggle and watch our morning kids shows...

Thanksgiving in Indianapolis

We traveled to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving this year. Thank you to Mike and Carole and their kids for hosting this year. We had a great time and Porter loved hanging out with his "friends". That's what he calls all kids around his age - my friends. Then whenever he is sad, or he gets in trouble he says, "Me miss my friends..." Ha, ha. Like that's going to get him out of being in trouble!

While on the trip Jack found his voice and discovered many words - he copies absolutely everything you say, so now we really have to watch ourselves!

Did I mention that I am the Thor family Yahtzee Queen?


Right before we went to Indi, Tom and I went to Sacramento for Garry and Ewa Kelley's official church wedding. What a wonderful wedding and such great people. They complement each other very well. We also got to spend some time with Tom's friends Scott and Kristi Stryker, who are so great! We travel well together - even got to go down to my favorite city in the world (thus far), San Francisco. Top picture is at the wedding with my wrinkly hair (so says Porter). Next picture is us at Alioto's on the Wharf - Tom had his first full crab meal - he said it was awesome! Kristi and I are both allergic to shellfish - so we didn't get to enjoy, bummer since we both love it! Nice bibs boys!


Huge THANKS to Margie and Terry the best in-laws a person could ask for! They stayed with the boys while we went on vacation. It's so nice not to have to worry about them when we are gone!

I'll post some Thanksgiving pictures soon.

Porter is getting his tonsils and adenoids out next Wednesday - so that's a big thing coming up for us. Then it's off to Fargo two weeks later to spend some time with my family for Christmas.

Tom's Antics

Tom's been sick with a terrible cold, so most of his time has been spent in bed and whining about his chest hurting and his nasal passages being clogged. Although, he did feel well enough to make fun of me for putting the Spoon website connection on our Blog, so now I suppose I'll be taking that down! Tom has been contemplating buying a new bike since he started commuting on a 25 year old Panasonic. We have spent countless hours on the internet looking at different bikes and going to every shop in town over the last month. And he says I'm indecisive! He still can't decide which bike to get! Maybe I'll start a poll.


In October we went to NYC without the kids. Margie and Terry were kind enough to come and stay with the boys. Here's a picture of us in NYC. We went to the Stenehjem family restaurant while we were there. It's called Stonehome and it was FANTASTIC. We had a great time hanging out with Sara and doing what she gets to do all the time. I have to say though, I don't think I could live there. So many people, and so much shopping!!

Kirsten