It's Like Hanging with Sinatra

We just attended our first Homeowner's Association (HOA) meeting and guess who is now on the Board of Directors? Yep, Captain Rules Enforcement (sorry, Major Rules Enforcement) was suckered in almost immediately. Since I am not technically a homeowner I was not eligible to serve our community; my contribution was poking Mike until he raised his hand. Crafty!

A Neighborhood Watch program is in the works, so my nosiness may actually have a useful purpose. Just call me Gladys Kravitz.

Push It Real Good

How cute is this guy?

We took advantage of a break in the torrential rain Saturday to do some yardwork. After a trip to Wal-Mart to buy a lawnmower, weed whacker and cute orange gardening gloves (with polka dots!), we did some work in our backyard. OK, Mike did pretty much all of the work while I took a ton of pictures and scooped up the trimmings. Always glamorous around here.

Munchkins!

Proud Dad with his beautiful kids

Samurai Kaiden shows off his skills

Hannah and her doll on the deck. Apparently she likes her gifts!

Dad enjoying dinner with Hannah and Kaiden

Saturday was a busy day for us: took a bunch of boxes to recycling, ordered our dining room table (which should arrive any minute now - yay!), did some last-minute cleaning and organizing...and finally welcomed Mike's kids! Julia, his oldest, is spending her spring break with us while the little ones, Hannah and Kaiden, enjoy some time in colonial Williamsburg with their mom and her boyfriend. We had all the kids here for dinner and presents from Japan (Dad outdid himself in the gift department), while his ex-wife and her boyfriend took a break and got some dinner alone.

The kids really like the house and seem eager to spend time here. I'm hoping we'll have a full house at some point this summer! I baked a ton of cookies for dessert and for the little ones to take on the road and enjoy. Scored some points with the baked goods. Bribery may not be ideal but it works.

Domestic Dude and Diva

It's been brought to my attention that I haven't posted anything new in a week. My apologies, loyal readers. We've been busy, but not with anything blog-worthy. A lot of unpacking, organizing, rearranging... necessary but not especially exciting. Actually, I take that back. It's been fun merging our belongings and making the house a comfortable place for both of us.

My inner domestic goddess has made herself known and it's kinda cool and a little weird. As most of you know, I am a train wreck in the kitchen. Stuff burns and I usually end up cutting myself on something... it's not pretty. In addition to setting up the kitchen by myself (Mike was away at drill last weekend), I've been baking and collecting recipes so I can branch out a bit more. Let me repeat that: I have been baking things from scratch. No pre-fab cookie dough for this girl! Mike and his co-workers are reaping the benefits of this sudden urge to use all of the kitchen utensils I've accumulated over time. Apparently watching my grandma, Dave, and Judy cook all these years has paid off; I actually feel comfortable in what I'm doing and the house hasn't burned down. Mike has also been grilling almost every night and has become quite the menu planner.

We have been in a mad rush to get the house pulled together since our first visitor arrives on Saturday. Mike's daughter Julia is spending her spring break with us and we are so excited to have her here! I hope she has fun while she's with us. We'll need to tone down the Battlestar Galactica viewing while she's here; she probably thinks we're huge dorks as it is. No need to give her more evidence of that.

Chillin' and Grillin'

Today we purchased a fabulous gas grill. Mike and I are culinarily-challenged. We love great food, but neither one of us has the patience to cook a full meal. Part of my problem is my low-grade ADD; being easily distracted by shiny things means food often burns. Luckily, Mike loves to grill, we have a great deck, and the weather is cooperating with us so we went for it!

I marinated some steaks and Mike took charge of the grill. In the true spirit of outdoor cooking, he enjoyed a beer while expertly cooking our steaks. Once I was done steaming the veggies we sat down for our first homecooked meal together. Suck it Martha Stewart!

In less-exciting domestic news, our washer and dryer were delivered Friday. Thank God - my clothes haven't arrived and I was running out of shirts. It's starting to feel like a real home. Still on a hunt for dining room furniture... more shopping! Mike is thrilled.