An Attempt.

I have no idea if this will go over but I thought it was worth a try.

I am going to attempt to try and sell a few items through this blog occasionally.  If I don't have takers, then I won't waste my time any more with it.

So . . without further ado here are the following items for sale:

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Winter Wonderland signs - $26/big and $22/small

Baby, its Cold Outside - $14

This is a really crappy picture.  let me know if you want measurements.

These cute little winterland scenes in a jar:  $10/small or $12/big

And last but not least my friend Kim makes these fabulous gloves!  I am only posting a few pics but she has quite a few - they are $32/each and are touch screen for all you savvy iphoners.

This guy has been on my nerves lately.  He makes large messes, typically hits his head somehow and may be heard cursing from time to time.  He may also be for sale.

Please email me at slknudsen7@yahoo.com if you want something and we can work out the details from there.

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Was that annoying?  Are you more interested in furniture?  Or nothing at all?  I'm curious.

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The bedroom is basically done.  Doors still need to be hung, floors washed, etc BUT I'm calling it done.  I love the color AND I love my new little chair from my friend Natalie.  Stinking adorable.

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I think that is all for now.  I feel like I have been in a holding pattern lately - - trying to find joy and gratitude in the mundane and the slow process of the house.  It is hard to not play the game of:  "Once this gets done THEN I will be happy.  Or when we can finally move in, THEN things will be better."  I have found that this rarely solves anything.  There is just a new hurdle to overcome.  And frankly . . who am I kidding - - my hurdles are typically insignificant in the large scope of things.

So.  Yes.  It is annoying to have to drive to the gas station every time I have to use the bathroom . . . but is it worth really whining over?

Probably.

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I hope the holiday season is treating you all wonderfully.

Life is a Verb.

I hope you all had a restful and grateful Thanksgiving.  We hosted the first ever South Dakota Turkey Bowl.  It was a blast and I'd like to give a huge shout-out "thank you" to all of you who attended!  Surprisingly it was a very skilled game of football despite the fact that most of the players have been out of the game for 10+ years.  

No one got hurt.  No one cried and no one laughed at my jokes.  Personally I think using the term "huggle" (in place of "huddle") and "It is tickle football this year not flag football" is hilarious.  None of the guys even cracked a smile.  

Tough crowd.

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I did not do any Black Friday shopping.  

I value sleep way too much.

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I went to Minneapolis on Saturday to visit my friend Natalie.  We decorated her house for Christmas, caught up on sale strategy, grabbed Chinese food and watched a chick flick.  I oohed and ahhed over her inventory and of course had to buy a few items for my house (Boyd had requested that I take the car for this very reason.  Jerk.).   It had been a long time since I had been back to the Twin Cities and it was good for my heart.  I found myself breathing it all in.  I miss the energy of the place, the abundance of creativity, the hustle and bustle.

Natalie's house.

BUT that is not to say that I don't like South Dakota - it has its perks too.

Like a house that needs a ton of work. :)

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Speaking of the house.  I was able to paint the master bedroom on Monday.  It used to be a pepto pink but now it is a color called sea salt.  I'm not sure if I picked it for the actual color or just the name of the color.  I like salt.  And I like the sea.  It made me happy to request "sea salt" for my bedroom color.  Boyd has been tearing out the ceiling in a room.  It is a mess.  He also demolished the bathroom.  This is also a mess.  So far he is only making gigantic messes. I'm not so sure his prediction of moving in before Christmas will actually take place.

the bathroom

the master bedroom.  

Soon I will try and post pics of after pictures.  If I can get my lazy butt to actually finish a room.

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Boyd has been trying desperately to get a well on the property.  (personally, I don't think we need one but he REALLY wants one.  I REALLY want a pool but he seems to ignore that).  When Boyd initially called the well guy ("Mr. L"),  he was unsure if he was going to come out and dig.  Mr. L. then called back on Thanksgiving Day and said: "I sure don't need the money, and my wife thinks I'm crazy, but I will be there Friday morning".  And he was.  There and crazy.  Boyd and Mr. L were busy figuring out where there should be water, etc. - I went out to check on the progress and Mr. L says "You must be the wife!" and he gave me a hug.

So that was weird.

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Brother2 just asked me where my dog Lou was.  Apparently he is needed for his science experiment.  I wonder if the experiment is "how much cuteness can one dog contain?"

Have I posted this pic dozens of times already?

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Boyd and I were outside.  It is a full moon outside and you could hear the coyotes howling.  All of the sudden a huge gaggle of geese (is anyone else impressed that I used the term gaggle?) flew overhead.  I could hear their wings flapping.  It was . . . pretty awesome.

Immediately I thought to myself:  "Bastards! How dare they fly overhead.  We MUST shoot them!"

I'm channeling my inner hunter.  

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I bought a new book called "Life is a Verb".  It is supposed to be challenging and I'm due for a little inner working.  The first challenge is to "be curious not judgmental".  So . . I'm making a mental note every day to flip a judgment around into a curiosity.  When I found myself thinking:  "Good grief, he's an idiot".  I stopped and flipped it into "I wonder WHY he's an idiot?"  That was a cinch.

I think I'm a better person already.

Hustle. Bustle.

The holiday sale is finally over.  Such a relief and kind of disappointing.  Its almost like a wedding . . . you put a lot of work into planning the event and then Bam! Its over and now you are stuck with one big mess.  :)

Seriously though:  It was great.  I have to give a big shout out to the vendors who participated in this event.  The work and creativity they put forth was awe inspiring.  I felt so completely inept once I saw all the beautiful items.  My stuff looked like dull middle children. :)

Holiday sale held at the Goss Opera House

Yeah for shoppers!

And the shoppers.  THANK YOU loyal shoppers!  You make all the work worth it - - obviously by buying our stuff but also with all the kind words and encouragement. We really like that and, I can't speak for the others, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy. And for that I thank you and offer you my own warm and fuzzy to you:

kitten and my nephew

You are welcome.

I am not sure where "Lucky Day" will go from here.  If it will just stay a big event sale held twice a year or if there will be offshoots of it:  like maybe craft nights or even full craft weekends; selling a special item once a week online; traveling to special venues and renting a booth; maybe trying to bump up the big sales to 4x a year instead of 2x; offer decor/design services . . . . . who knows!  I certainly have no idea. BUT if you feel inclined, please do offer some insights or things you would like to see and it might just push me to focus on one area.  Maybe.

Cooking more is not a viable option. Boyd already offered that piece of input.

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Did I mention that I spilled a FULL quart of paint in my car during the sale?  I did.  It nearly pushed me over the edge. Boyd wanted me to give him a shout out for cleaning up all the paint but I am refusing.

Supposedly I am working at the "new" house this weekend. According to Boyd, that is.  We shall see.  Supposedly the heat is not hooked up and I am not feeling all that hearty lately.

People have been asking for before and after pics of the house.  The problem with this is that I don't have AFTER pics.  Here's the thing: we JUST got the house on the foundation and it is over 100 years old.  And my husband is "handy" which means we hire very little out and if you don't hire stuff out . . . . (a) you save money but (b) you live in a mess for a long time.

So . . . be patient because I know I will not be.

And the project begins.

Fun Alert:  The new James Bond movie is fun.  I have a few critiques but will stay quiet because they would be spoiler alerts.

The really big fun alert is that "Life of Pi" comes out next weekend.  The book was crazy fabulous so go and read it first AND then go the movie. Obviously, I have a very full social calendar.

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Random: I was looking through my notes and I found a list entitled: "Things I hate".  It consisted of leaky pens and salamanders.  Who's with me?

It is now 8:30 p.m. I have been in my PJs since 7pm. Things get pretty crazy around here.

Good night.

The Liberal.

I was pointing out to dad that maybe the famdamily could try drinking water at meals instead of gallons of milk in one sitting.

Apparently this makes me a liberal.

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I took Brother2, O and Oli to Hotel Transylvania.  Oli was thrilled when I warned him there would be monsters, zombies and skeletons in the movie.

During the movie, there were some pesky 5th graderish kids making noise in front.  This is a pet peeve of mine.  So I snitched.  Which, ironically, is also a pet peeve of mine.

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We just found out that our house can be moved.  This week.  

AS IN . . this week.   

Boyd is a loyal helper for me but he's very distracted with the whole "moving a house" thing.   We loaded up a trailer and 2 trucks tonight and dropped it off at the Goss.  Thanks Boyd, Dad, Jim, Brother2, Sav, Jordan, Mom and Phyllis!  Only a few more truckloads to go.  :)

Is he really the happy elf he appears to be?

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Mom got a call from one of Brother2's teachers who went on and on about how great of a student he is for her.  Mom later found out that he had cashed in points/credits for that call to happen.  

I was sort of impressed.

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I have started drinking real coffee.

I have no idea what is happening to me.

I might be a grown-up now.  Maybe a liberal.  Most definitely a snitch.

Football and Books and Snakes, oh my.

Work has begun on the window display at the Goss Opera House. The Facebook announcement has been sent out and postcards are being passed out. All of this means that I am now 100% committed.

Committed.

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The Hamlin Chargers lost last night to the Arlington Cardinals.

Let’s have a moment of silence.

(Silence)

It was a great game.

I may have wet my pants.

Just a little.

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Book Club was last night. I adore these ladies who read books.
My favorite quote was "It is so cool that you have read so many books".
FINALLY. The heavens have parted and I have finally made it to the "cool" status.
Unfortunately, this event has happened 15 years later than I would have preferred.

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It was a rough morning yesterday. Not only did it snow but I realized my hair is extremely greasy and I did not leave enough time in my morning schedule to wash it (this is not that unusual). So I decided to turn a rough morning into a better morning by celebrating (the first snow fall - - not my lack of personal hygiene) by ordering my first peppermint mocha of the season. Mmmmm......much better. Not only is it delicious but it also serves for fattening me up for the winter winds that I will be enduring in the very near future.

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I don't really have any house updates.  Its always the same but with boring details.  Boyd finds the details extremely interesting but I'm just waiting for a HOUSE to finally make it onto the premises.  I do not care about running piping, where to put the furnace or where the well will be situated.  Have I mentioned that we have a well to get our water from?  I'm envisioning me carrying buckets of water on my head while the 50+ mph winds whip at my thin home-sewn dress that I made out of curtains.  Boyd has been assuring me that I can just turn the faucet on and water will miraculously appear. 

We'll see.

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I heard roosters (as in male pheasants for you "out of staters") the other night when I dropped by the property.  It was magical.  Boyd immediately mumbles something about hunting blah blah blah.  So I dubbed the FIRST RULE OF OUR NEW HOME: 

Our measly little 4.5 acres is OFFICIALLY a safe haven for animals.  Come one and come all.  No shooting allowed.  Snakes may be the exception.  I really hate snakes. 

This is only one of many similarities I share with Indiana Jones.

Problem Solvers.

My Aunt Karen and cousins (Sophie, Ian and Issaac) are visiting this weekend.  Sophie is 15 years old and Brother 2 thinks it is great if she is around.  

Overheard (Brother2 talking to Sophie):

"If you help me with my science fair project, I will teach you how to play basketball."

There may be hope for this kid yet . . . his problem solving skills are definitely improving.

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House update:

We have basement walls now.  Yeah!  

We also have 50 mph winds.

We have no tree belt.

Our problem solving skills suck.

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I'm tired.  I had to work today.  On a Friday.  A FRIDAY!  Oh, the agony.

Fridays should be free days.  Always.

Good night.

It's Official.

We own land.  Officially.  We also have a large hole on our new land.  Officially.

Boyd was saying we will be in our new place before Christmas. I gave a cheer and Brother2 gave a "rats".    Supposedly my dessert obsession has opened up a whole new world to him and he is afraid it will leave with me.  As a parting gift (for the whole 2 miles we will be moving away), I will leave him some frosting and a package of graham crackers.
It works in a pinch.

Boyd and a hole.

A large hole means large sand dunes.

Sister1, Mom, Brother2, G, O & myself all went to a Toby Mac concert in Fargo.  I wasn't prepared to enjoy it that much.  I have a slight aversion to concerts.  Whenever we went to concerts in the Cities it was because we just happened to be in downtown, just happened to bump into a scalper and just happened to like who was playing.  I think of it as destiny.  PLANNING to go to a concert is always tough for me . . . oh the agony of finding parking (and then paying for it)! the crush of people!  the noisy, overstimulated environment!  Stupid people "encoring" constantly and silly girls screaming in my ears
 (oh wait . . that was just Boyd at the Killers concert)

Mr. Mac  I love the guy in camo.  He represented Dakota well.

We even got Meet and Greet tickets (tickets were courtesy of Sister1's friend who is Toby's publicist.  Thanks Velvet!) for before the show.  For NORMAL people this is a big deal.  For WEIRDOS like myself it is a little overwhelming.  Am I supposed to make small talk? Compliment his choice in eyewear?  No clue.  

But the whole event was quite delightful.   

Even despite Mr. B.O. sitting next to me.

I wish I had a tigger sweatshirt (Note Mr. B.O. behind me)

In other news.  I have been crafting up a storm.  I. Just. Can't. Stop.

This is the state of the house right now.   

It is officially out of control.