Because I cannot get enough of her....

I think I am gonna need a bigger purse....because my brag book full of photos to show the world how adorable Mahoney is, is gonna be huge!!!

This is what absolute joy feels like.....

MAHONEY JANE TEMPLE

Born June 27th, 2012 at 12:58pm


8 pounds


20" long


Mason says she has a good handful of hair and he is so totally in love!!!

And the count down begins....

Arrielle, yesterday!!!  That's all baby!!!

A week from today is Arrielle's due date....I am not sure she will make it that long.  She has had a lot of pre-labor symptoms the last few days.  Even an episode of false labor last night.  We (Lee and I) leave on Saturday morning....or Friday night, if Mahoney debuts earlier than her due date.  We are both pretty excited!!  I have started making the usual "trip to-do list".  Getting the laundry done, and planning the grocery list to sustain Elliott for two weeks.  

Elliott finished up his Speech class, and is now onto the English course he is taking this summer.  Every time I told someone that he was taking speech, people did not believe it...Elliott talks, I swear he does and he is actually really good at public speaking.  He gave two well received speeches, one on the inner workings of computers and a the other on Anti-piracy laws and how they relate to modern day media and social networking.   

Lee just found out he got an "A" on his Economics class....whoo, what a sigh of relief!  That class was hard, even with both of us trying to figure it out!  Yet, it did make the channel CNBC make a little more sense!  He is taking the summer off...he has been taking classes non-stop for two years now.  He has been spending his free time with his lady loves, Rosie, Ibby, Lucielle, and "no name"...also known as his guitars!

I am in laundry Heaven....my 16 year old dryer was dying, it made so much of a squeak and whistle, that I ran it when the roofers were here... because their pounding would drown it out!!  Thankfully, my buddy Susan had an exam to take in Medford (OR).  I was able to purchase a dryer from Lowe's and she picked it up for us.  I researched online and devised the best deal I could get.  It was 10% off, another 5% off for using our Lowe's card, and I saved on sales tax by having it picked up in Oregon!  The difference in dryers is unreal...this one is so much faster, it is like the difference between the oven and the microwave!!

I am hoping not to have to take a hiatus while we are up North....although, I kind of look forward to disconnecting from the computer a little.  I will try to post pics of Mahoney as soon as I can figure out how.

7 days and counting......

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!!

Things my dad taught me....

My dad taught me to tie my shoes...the rabbit ear way.

My dad taught me how to drive,  he grabbed a beer or two, and we took off down to the valley (Auburn, WA).  It was scary and fun all at the same time.

My dad showed me how to check all the vital fluids in my car...and he made me into a monster...because I can tell if  fluids have leaked onto the driveway, exactly which one it is.

He taught me to look for a great deal...even though I think cans of  2 for $1 mushrooms are still the grossest thing ever and not at all a good deal.

My dad gets my love of British humor, because he told me all of the good shows to watch on tv and online.

It may be a Slater thing (I have not met a Slater that does not love ice cream)...but I blame my dad for my love of ice cream....and cheeses.

He taught me about antique tractors and old cars, and does not mind my silly questions.

That it is fun to sing the birthday song...he sings it to me on my birthday every year!

It's my dad's 45th fathers day, and also his 76th birthday on this father's day....even though sometimes I feel like the  parent....he never lets me forget I am his little girl, and I am his favorite daughter.   A dad is a girl's first love, and I love mine deeply!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE DAD!!!

I LOVE YOU!!

I am pretty sure this is what Hell sounds like...

We are getting a new roof!  Which is a good thing.  But....and there always is one...it is not such a good thing when a contractor comes in and says that I should have removed the stuff from the garage...um, there is a car, a motorcycle, 3 shelving units, a tool box that weighs a few hundred pounds and all of Lee's guitar equipment....he said we were supposed to have been notified.  Thankfully, he stuck around to help me get the cover on the Corvette.  I scrambled to get all the stuff covered with sheets....not easy when each bed only has a couple sets! I also brought all the guitar gear inside.  Oh, and we should have removed the stuff stored in the rafters too...ugh!  That's not gonna happen...there is a car in the way!  So, now the whole garage is covered in a black dirt like substance....another ugh!  I am grateful for Lee's leaf blower, it will clean up quickly!


On to the pets....the black kitty is hiding, except for when he is screaming.  Texas is hanging out  under the entertainment center.  Key, who is doing pretty good with all the noise (compared to the 4th of July)...is fine as long as he can see me... preferably with my hand on him.  Good this is, I can barely hear my squeaking dryer with all the pounding.


The pounding....again an ugh!  I am pretty sure there is not enough Excedrin to take away the pounding in my head...the guys might be on their own for dinner tonight.  Not to mention the gardener for the common grounds outside is edging today.


Thankfully, they have tarps all over to catch the debris...but it is a little windy, so I can't say it is helping much.  There is a lot of nails out there too...if one of them land in a truck tire, I may lose my mind.


I am off to see if there is something soothing on my ipod....anything is better than the symphony going on outside!!


UGH!

Guys and Guitars....

James playing guitar...it is a little dark, the video was taken with a cell phone/

We have joked for years that James was Lee's brother from another mother!  James is a friend of Lee's dad and Judy.  A thought just came to mind....I have no idea how old James even is.  That friendship turned to the family that you chose.   He and Lee bonded over guitars and a southern accent.  James is from Tennessee.   James is a talker...he even puts Arrielle to shame!  It is kinda funny.


Last week when Lee was in the Bay Area, he took a chance and called James to see if he could come out to play!  They had a quick dinner, and then went to James' place for a jam session.  James used to play in a couple bands, and is quite talented.  They had a nice time playing together.  Lee does not get the chance to play with another guitar player very often.  Shoot...Lee does not get the chance to play very often period.   I am hoping that will change since Lee took the summer off from classes....to meet Mahoney Jane....who's due date is 2 weeks and 6 days away...not that I am counting!!

Lee and James, May 2012

End Of An Era...

 The main entrance road into Moffet Field, with the hanger in the back ground.

Hangar One is one of the largest free standing structures, it covers over 8 acres.

Lee is in Mountain View (California) this week for a class, for work.  He is staying at a Navy Lodge on the old Moffet Field naval base.  This base was a stones throw from where Dad (Lee's dad) and Judy lived...and it was Lee's first time in the Bay Area since his dad passed away almost 7 years ago.  When I spoke to him on Sunday night, he said it was a little weird...he said as soon as he got to the Petaluma area, he felt rushed....like he was gonna miss carport time or bubba burgers in the evening with his dad.  We reminisced about the times we visited there...about how we grew to love caffeine free diet Coke, how much Lee's dad would have loved the Hatfield's and the McCoy's mini series on the history channel, guns on the nightstands (which is funny now because Mason has a nerf gun called "Sam" on his nightstand) and just the general feeling of being there...which was always good.  Lots of fun memories were created there.

Lee also told me about the old blimp hangar being held in limbo....accck!!!  The fact is that the base has been closed forever and essentially there is no budget to save the famous Hangar One. It was built in the 1930's, when we were not so careful about building materials, over the years it has leached some toxic chemicals and the skin of the building was/is removed due to asbestos.  I saw online that Google wanted to help save it, so they can park their private jets in there. These hangers have been there my whole life...they held blimps and were so big, they are a Bay Area landmark.  It is fun to see them occasionally on the show Mythbusters. This small base has a significant history, in World War II, the base base was draped with netting that looked like a residential neighborhood from above, and effectively hid the base from planes above.   The commissary on this base was the creepiest one ever...it used to be the morgue during war time.  The base is a ghost town now....the mini mart where Lee and his dad would go to is closed, even the McDonald's is closed.  A small Navy Exchange remains...Lee is checking that out today.  It would be sad to lose such a historical building.

Let's just hope, Lee does not tell me of the great sandwich he had at Togo's....I may just lock him out of the house when he comes home on Friday.

****UPDATE....Lee got it backwards, the creepy commissary is still open, and the exchange is closed.