Jim the Toolman

This weekend, Jim took on the project of reorganizing our closets.  In the master bedroom, the builder only put single rods around the entire closet.  There was so much wasted space, it was driving us crazy.  All of our clothes were jammed in with absolutely no room for shoes (big problem for me!). 

After buying new tools and a new tool belt just for the occasion, Jim and Garrett (his handy helper) got to work.  It was quite a large project:  hampers, drawers, shoe racks, double hanging bars, etc.  Jim is such a perfectionist, everything had to be just right.  Needless to say....it took a while. 

It took the entire weekend to get the closet done.  Garrett was so sweet...helping out dawn to dusk on both days.  They definitely had lots of male bonding time!  Knowing Jim, I knew there would be lots of creative language flying around during the project so Delanie and I went shopping.  No reason to teach her a brand new vocabulary!

The fact that Jim bought (and wore!) a new tool belt cracks me up!!  If you know Jim, you know that he's not a project kind of guy.  That has all changed my friend!  Every weekend, he's looking for a new project to do around the house.  There were times this weekend that he paid more attention to keeping his tool belt around his waist than he did his pants.  Garrett got quite a view a few times!

Finally, on Sunday night, the new closet was ready for business.  They did such a great job!!  There is now room for all kinds of things....scarves, belts, etc.  I love it!!! :)

Miss you, Mom!

I'm so lucky to have you....

 

AppleJacks Orchard

Some of Jim's favorite childhood memories center around apple trees.  He and his family used to visit an apple orchard in Michigan where they would eat piping hot cinnamon donuts and drink fresh apple cider.  As a southerner, I could never really picture that but I was so curious.

There are tons of apple orchards in Minnesota.  A fan favorite is AppleJacks in Delano....about 15 minutes from our home.  When Maci came to visit, we decided to check it out.  About five minutes into the drive, it felt like we had been transported to a northern countryside.  The Fall colors were so beautiful and there were so many lakes tucked into the scenery. 

AppleJacks has a huge family spread set up.  There is a live music tent with picnic tables for families, hayrides, corn maze, market, etc.  They had thought of everything.  I was so excited as we parked and started exploring. 

I had a mental image of what an apple orchard would look like:  towering trees brimming with apples, ladders on each tree for easy access to the fruit, rows and rows of nothing but apples.  That was partially right.  The biggest surprise for me was that the trees are so short.....8 ft at the tallest! 

There were several different varieties....Honey Crisp (my new favorite!), Gold, Haralson, Red Delicious.  Rows and rows of apples....all shapes & sizes.  Because we visited toward the end of the season, only the tops of the trees had apples left.  Thank goodness I married a big tall man!!

Speaking of those piping hot donuts.....oh man.....they were soooo yummy!! :)

Animal attraction

Bailey & Sugar are settling in nicely.  Sugar - never one to be friendly - has found a new place to hide.  She pretty much sleeps all day....she burrows her way between the comforter and sheet of our bed.  Whenever the doorbell rings, she will scurry to the master bedroom, knock all the pillows back & squeeze between Jim's pillows.  Come near her and you'll be sorry!

When the bed isn't taken, Bailey cuddles up to Jim's pillow.  If Sugar has already claimed her spot under the covers, Bailey will settle for a sunny spot in the master bedroom. 

Let it be known that if Bailey has claimed the bed, Sugar will NOT settle for a sunny spot.  Surprisingly, she goes straight into Garrett's room.  I'm always surprised to find her there because Garrett aggravates her non-stop.  He will pick her up and hold her.....even though she's hissing and growling the entire time!  Who knows, maybe she's planning to leave him a "liquid" present in his bed. 

Bailey is happy anywhere.  She's the first one to greet you when you come in and the last one to lay down at night.  She will patrol the perimeter of the entire house to make sure everyone is settled in and them she will crawl into her bed.  She has begun to audibly "pass wind" (from both ends).  She absolutely LOVES to play chase with Jim!  He will pretend to tickle her and she goes nuts.  Check it out....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BAa464vWgg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The first time it rained after the move, both pets were mesmerized.  It hadn't rained in months before we left Texas.  We were still in Jim's corporate apartment when it started pouring.  Bailey and Sugar took turns checking it out. 



Because of the cooler weather, we leave the windows and doors open much more up here.  Sugar is getting braver each day about venturing outside.  She doesn't have her front claws so we have to keep a close eye on her.  Most of the time, she will sit at the door and peek out but we've caught her trolling around the garage and front porch a few times.

Bailey is LOVING the weather up here.  We installed an underground electric fence to keep her close to home.  She did really well with the training and never complains about wearing the collar.  The collar starts beeping when she gets too close to the "out of bounds" line.  She does an about-face and finds a comfortable spot to observe the neighborhood.  There have been several times when we forgot to put her collar on (especially in the mornings) and she still does great.  She only crossed over the perimeter one time and that was to visit Tucker....the cute little boy puppy across the street. I guess the zap was worth it!!  :)

Helping hands

I'm getting lots of help around the house while my arm is healing.  The kids have volunteered to do the dishes after dinner, peel potatoes (see pics above), fold & carry laundry, etc.  They are such good kids.  I'm a lucky Mom!  Not once have they complained about extra chores.  At least once a day, they ask how my elbow is and they are super protective when we're in a crowd.  Aren't they sweet??

Jim has been helping out too.  Actually, that's not accurate......Jim has pretty much taken care of the whole house lately.  Lots and lots of "women's work".  :)  Check out the pictures of him repotting my house plants.  Trust me, I am extremely loved by the looks of the photo.  Plants are not Jim's thing.  When I took this picture, he said "that better not end up on Facebook or your blog!".  Guess he's worried about losing his 'man' card. 

Bailey decided to help Jim with the plants.....first with kisses (moral support!) and then supervision.