TAWANDA!!

Ok, so that's not me, that's Kathy Bates, but "TAWANDA!!" kept running through my head the other day while I was working on the house! lol (Oh yes, I just made a Fried Green Tomatoes reference. Yes I did. lol) There's not a lot I am capable of when it comes to fixing up a house, but I can be pretty good at tearing it apart! The other day, while Matt was on the roof putting all of that back, I got sick of standing around babysitting him & decided I could still hear him fall off the roof from inside the house just as well as from the outside, so I gave myself a job. ;) Knocking out plaster can be therapeutic sometimes, as Evelyn here clearly agrees. So I did knock out the walls in one room, but then got bored with the sledgehammer & decided to tear out some stairs instead. From where the ceiling was already crumbling apart, the stairs were covered in so much crap you could barely walk up them, and it really bothered me. So it took me 10 trash bags to fill plaster and old carpet from the steps, but now we've uncovered a beautiful staircase! It really shouldn't take much to revive. (Plus the house doesn't smell so bad anymore either! Eww! lol) I have a before picture, but I should've taken an after. I'll do that soon. I do love how doing little things in this house makes such a huge difference in uncovering how beautiful it can be. Hopefully it won't take long! :)

So, small world moment I've got for ya. It entertained me anyway! lol So this past weekend the boys' school had an apple event in their cafagymatorium. (another one of the words from Stacia's made up vocabulary). It was this really cute little party where they had apple snacks & apple shaped cookies to decorate, apple art activities, face painting (because no kid's activity is complete without face painting), and an apple cider press. The kids all got to participate in making their own apple cider by throwing in the apples & turning the crank and seeing how it all works. It was very fun.

(Oh yeah, the kids all got a little silly with the face paint and wanted scars & mustaches and dripping blood... ignore my son's beautiful face! lol)

So anyway, very cute & very fun. We got a whole pitcher of our very own apple cider to take home. So where does the small world part come in? Well I'll tell ya! lol I don't think you can zoom in on my pictures very well, but you'll notice a silver plate right next to Mark's hand which tells where the cider press was made. Well wouldn't you know, way out here in rural upstate Vermont, this cider press came from the one & only Happy Valley Ranch that sits right next door to our former home in Kansas!!! No I'm not kidding! How crazy is that! The press belongs to the man in the picture, & he knew all about the company & where it was. Turns out they're one of the major cider press manufacturers in the whole country. That little ugly blue building next door to my house with the cranky old man who hates my dog. Who knew? lol

Oh and PS: my patient told me yesterday that Moose hunting season has officially started. Aren't you glad you have me to let you know? lol ;) (Though we are all really excited to see a moose in real life. We haven't yet. Though preferably I'd rather not meet one with my car...)