So Now...

We have cats!

We picked them up from some friend's who also live in the country.

They haven't seen mice in their house for years.

I hope we'll be able to say that, too.

Because, 3 nights in a row, 3 mice in a row. All in the kitchen. Ick. Ick. Ick.

Dan is great at removing the bodies.

Me? I just get grossed out!

So...welcome cats.

Mice

We have mice. Ick. I will spare you any pictures of huge Country Mice - they grow bigger out here in the country, I think!

Anyways, Brooke gets her wish - we will be acquiring a cat....soon.

Thomas the Train

Case discovered a new program he likes because it involves a talking train!!!

Spring Day

The big news in Muscatine today is that the house three doors down from our old house on Mulberry Avenue was being MOVED. It's a large Victorian house that will be moved 3/4 mile to its new location on Iowa Avenue. A film crew from TLC (The Learning Channel) has been in Muscatine for the past 10 days filming the process. So, now the house is "parked" in the Art Center parking lot and will make its way up Cedar Street, then up Fulliam, and turn onto Iowa tomorrow...

(picture courtesy of Dan's phone - view from Mulberry Ave)

Next, it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL today. I/we spent most of the afternoon outside in our backyard, skimming off the leaves of the pool, raking leaves from our garden, discovering the strawberry plants in the corner, and all the great plants that are beginning to push through the dirt.

Now I'm tired and dirty, enjoying American Idol, looking forward to a tall glass of water and a warm shower.

"Best Sleepover Ever"

So they girls had their BFF's over Wednesday night, and they all decided it would be fun to do a Baking Contest. The kitchen was transformed into a Food Network studio! Three teams: Dan & Brooke, Moriah Squared, Haley & Sydney. They each started with a brownie mix and from there, got creative. I had the rough task of judging!






Moriah & Moriah with Peanut Butter Eruption














Sydney & Haley with Sundae Delight


























Dan & Brooke with Sensationally Sticky

A Few Things We've Done

Orchestra Concert a few weeks ago. All three girls played. They are making progress!








Furniture shopping. Of course, the kids prefer to just hang out in the massage chairs. After trying one, I think that may be a good purchase!!

We have moved!!!

So, there's two more things (besides the mountain of boxes that are still full and need to be empty) to do.

Close on our old house today at 4:30 pm.

Close on our new house tomorrow morning at 10 am.

I'm not worried about the latter closing.

The old house is SPOTLESS. It is much cleaner than it was when we purchased it nearly 7 years ago. My mother-in-law and I have spent way too many hours scrubbing, cleaning 104 year old wood, touching up paint, washing windows, sweeping, and so on for the buyers of this home. They may or may not appreciate it when they move in. (Wynne spent an entire day on the kitchen cabinets, stove, and refrigerator!) I tried to have a Golden Rule attitude: Do unto others as you would want done to do....a clean house is good. But, my attitude wasn't always there.

So...hoping their final walk-through is pleasant for them, and they are committed fully to the purchase of the house.

In other news....I'm tired!!! Moving sure is a LOT of work!

...and we're moving

We made more than 40 trips to the new house, nearly 20 were in the van packed like this. The other half were in Mark & Amy's tent trailer.












Case helped whenever he could. Although it looks like he's putting together a bedframe, he's actually squishing ladybugs with a pair of vice grips!