...and all is right with the world again.
haven't heard the story of lovey yet? you can't miss this: http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/you-cant-put-price-on-lovey.html
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Everything is Coming Up Hydrangeas
We interrupt this Lovey Bear Love Fest to revert back to house related posts. Thanks again to everyone for your well wishes on bringing the little guy home! We have never received so many comments and phone calls on such a thing!
I wanted to post a few pics of the flowers we inherited from the house across the street. It's currently in a demolition phases and the contractors told the neighbors we could take any of the plant life we wanted. AWESOME. I love having fresh flowers in the house and these have been going strong for a week and a half! That's a new record. Check out the pics below of these beautiful blooms!
I wanted to post a few pics of the flowers we inherited from the house across the street. It's currently in a demolition phases and the contractors told the neighbors we could take any of the plant life we wanted. AWESOME. I love having fresh flowers in the house and these have been going strong for a week and a half! That's a new record. Check out the pics below of these beautiful blooms!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sigh of Relief
Yep...that's him alright!
After a pretty rough night of suddenly realizing exactly where she had left him, Alex has no idea that Lovey Bear made it home today. He arrived about 30 minutes ago and is currently marinating in a hot water, bleach and more bleach cocktail.
We'll spare everyone the clearer pictures of him until he's ready for his close up, but can we just say, even in his current state, he's never looked better!
UPDATE: see their reunion here:
What is this story all about? You can't miss this:
http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/you-cant-put-price-on-lovey.html
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
You Can't Put a Price on Lovey
Q. How do you mend a broken heart?
A. With cash.
If you've met my daughter Alex, you've likely met our miniature family member, Lovey Bear. Little Lovey has been in Alex's life since I received him as a baby shower gift almost 6 years ago and laid him next to her on her very first day of life. He has been through it all over the course of the last half decade. He's photographed in nearly every photo ever taken of this little girl, including some professional preschool pictures and in his very own Wizard of Oz photo shoot. He was Dorothy.
I have re-walked through a Wal-Mart, a Kohls, several Targets and various other retail/restaurant establishments when he has been misplaced during outings. I have dug through every toy box, clothes bin and nook & cranny-- in 4 separate houses-- to recover him when he has gone astray over the years. He has been washed, dried, soaked in mud, buried in sand, dressed up, peed on, ripped open, sewn, re-stuffed, sewn again and mauled by dogs, cats and various toddlers.
He has had two identical twin relatives purchased, to match him, in the event of a tradgedy, though never, not once has either been picked up and mistaken for him.
What once started as a plump, beige, soft, little stuffed bear, has over the years morphed into a thin, grayish-brown, worn out and smaller shell of a former animal, sort of resembling a bear.
He's been on boats, planes, in cars, to Disney World, Sea World, doctors appointments, holiday celebrations, birthday parties, and been a guest of honor at numerous tea parties, sleepovers and puppet shows. One year he dressed up as Santa and another year he was a ghost for Halloween.
But the one thing he has never been is lost for good.
This past week dear Lovey went on his very first camping trip to South Dakota, with his best friend Alex and her dad.
But he never made it home.
After an exhaustive search through sleeping bags, duffle bags, SUVs and surrounding areas---- we realized that state lines were crossed and poor Lovey was left behind.
And while the agony of not knowing his whereabouts was enough to make adults and small children alike weep---the thought of never seeing him again was too much to, well, "bear".
One of the keys to finding Lovey in his many mis-adventures has always been a retracing of steps. So on Monday, when that retrace led to an Arby's in Rapid City, South Dakota, you can imagine the small level of hope that filled our hearts.
And when the manager of said Arby's recalled finding him, but then also explained how he threw him away, you can envision that hope slipping away.
So what's a mom or a dad or anyone to do when you are so close, yet literally so far away? When you can't physically climb in that dumpster and dig, (because you would) what do you do?
When that manager says "he's gotta be out there, but I don't think anyone'll want to find him in that mess."
What can you do?
Well.....You call. You beg. You shed a few tears and somehow obtain the cell phone number of the store manager and you call him, text him, and offer him a cash reward if that little bear gets saved before the trashman arrives.
And then you sit in your office, in the middle of a business meeting, and interrupt it to jump for joy--- along with 9 other adults----who have never met Lovey, but who have maybe had a lovey or have a child, and can totally relate when you take that call from South Dakota, the one call with the best news you've heard all week.
He's been found.
So Lovey has been everywhere. And he added the bottom of an Arby's dumpster in the Black Hills to his list.
And today he's in the U.S. mail.
And with any luck, he'll be back home soon.
And when he gets here, he's grounded. And he's never, ever leaving the house again.
So we did everything we could and now.....we wait anxiously for his triumphant return.
The moral of this story? Beside the obvious---- that everything is better covered in Arby sauce----what did we learn?
We learned that: Money talks. Sometimes little bears dress up like Dorothy. But no matter where his adventures take him, for our Lovey, there is no place like home.
A. With cash.
If you've met my daughter Alex, you've likely met our miniature family member, Lovey Bear. Little Lovey has been in Alex's life since I received him as a baby shower gift almost 6 years ago and laid him next to her on her very first day of life. He has been through it all over the course of the last half decade. He's photographed in nearly every photo ever taken of this little girl, including some professional preschool pictures and in his very own Wizard of Oz photo shoot. He was Dorothy.
I have re-walked through a Wal-Mart, a Kohls, several Targets and various other retail/restaurant establishments when he has been misplaced during outings. I have dug through every toy box, clothes bin and nook & cranny-- in 4 separate houses-- to recover him when he has gone astray over the years. He has been washed, dried, soaked in mud, buried in sand, dressed up, peed on, ripped open, sewn, re-stuffed, sewn again and mauled by dogs, cats and various toddlers.
He has had two identical twin relatives purchased, to match him, in the event of a tradgedy, though never, not once has either been picked up and mistaken for him.
What once started as a plump, beige, soft, little stuffed bear, has over the years morphed into a thin, grayish-brown, worn out and smaller shell of a former animal, sort of resembling a bear.
He's been on boats, planes, in cars, to Disney World, Sea World, doctors appointments, holiday celebrations, birthday parties, and been a guest of honor at numerous tea parties, sleepovers and puppet shows. One year he dressed up as Santa and another year he was a ghost for Halloween.
But the one thing he has never been is lost for good.
This past week dear Lovey went on his very first camping trip to South Dakota, with his best friend Alex and her dad.
But he never made it home.
After an exhaustive search through sleeping bags, duffle bags, SUVs and surrounding areas---- we realized that state lines were crossed and poor Lovey was left behind.
And while the agony of not knowing his whereabouts was enough to make adults and small children alike weep---the thought of never seeing him again was too much to, well, "bear".
One of the keys to finding Lovey in his many mis-adventures has always been a retracing of steps. So on Monday, when that retrace led to an Arby's in Rapid City, South Dakota, you can imagine the small level of hope that filled our hearts.
And when the manager of said Arby's recalled finding him, but then also explained how he threw him away, you can envision that hope slipping away.
So what's a mom or a dad or anyone to do when you are so close, yet literally so far away? When you can't physically climb in that dumpster and dig, (because you would) what do you do?
When that manager says "he's gotta be out there, but I don't think anyone'll want to find him in that mess."
What can you do?
Well.....You call. You beg. You shed a few tears and somehow obtain the cell phone number of the store manager and you call him, text him, and offer him a cash reward if that little bear gets saved before the trashman arrives.
And then you sit in your office, in the middle of a business meeting, and interrupt it to jump for joy--- along with 9 other adults----who have never met Lovey, but who have maybe had a lovey or have a child, and can totally relate when you take that call from South Dakota, the one call with the best news you've heard all week.
He's been found.
So Lovey has been everywhere. And he added the bottom of an Arby's dumpster in the Black Hills to his list.
And today he's in the U.S. mail.
And with any luck, he'll be back home soon.
And when he gets here, he's grounded. And he's never, ever leaving the house again.
So we did everything we could and now.....we wait anxiously for his triumphant return.
The moral of this story? Beside the obvious---- that everything is better covered in Arby sauce----what did we learn?
We learned that: Money talks. Sometimes little bears dress up like Dorothy. But no matter where his adventures take him, for our Lovey, there is no place like home.
UPDATE: see lovey's triumphant return:
http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/sigh-of-relief.html
and the reunion:
http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/pictures-is-worth-1000-words.html
http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/sigh-of-relief.html
and the reunion:
http://www.twentysixeast.com/2010/06/pictures-is-worth-1000-words.html
Friday, June 11, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Is there an author in the house?
If the commercial jingles don't pan out, we definitely think there is a future for Miss Alex as an author.
Presenting her first novel: Cat Goes to the Moon.
Baby Cat asked Mama Cat to do something fun.
"Swimming?" asked Mama Cat.
"No." said Baby Cat
"To the Moon!"
So they built a rocket ship [using a cat hammer and cat wrench]!
And off they went, to the moon!
The End.
I can honestly say the only way in which I contributed was to write the words she came up with on the pages, minus the front and back covers, that was all her. :)
Hard to decide who has the better handwriting.
Window of Opportunity
So what if Andre booted him out 2 seconds later? He let him sit there for a good 13 seconds prior to that. :)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Beginning of Half-Bath Bliss
Say that three times fast!! :)
Our half-bath off the entryway was one of the final rooms we'd left basically untouched since we moved in. Same terrible wallpaper, same dirty sink, same broken exhaust fan, and same lack of floor b/c I'd zealously yanked the vinyl the day we moved in.
We've been using it as a "paint shop" to store our 20+ pint-sized paint samples, good cans of paint, used paint thinner, brushes, other tools...and oh yeah, I guess it SORT OF functioned as a bathroom (these pics don't do the filth justice...you had to be there).
Finally about a week ago I was over it. Without much warning from me, or approval from Kelly...I set to yanking the sink, pulling the toilet, popping the trim, and knocking out the sheetrock. Not only did I REALLY not want to strip wallpaper, I also REALLY wanted to replace the fan, and REALLY wanted to make the unnecessary junction box in the middle of the ceiling go away. A couple hours and 5 trash bags later and here's what we were left with...including a special guest!
I'm not sure who was scared more...him or me? I THINK he was a Barn Swallow (correct me if you can bird fans)! Pretty sure he'd snuck in through the exhaust duct that leads to the back chimney...the one that's currently missing a cap. :) I did manage to catch and release this fine creature who was happy to fly across the street to the park. Hope he remembers us!
No sooner had our feathered friend flown away did I realize that now that I had destroyed the place (OK...ended its misery) that I now needed to figure out how to put it back together! Stay tuned for Part II where the reconstructive surgery begins. :)
Our half-bath off the entryway was one of the final rooms we'd left basically untouched since we moved in. Same terrible wallpaper, same dirty sink, same broken exhaust fan, and same lack of floor b/c I'd zealously yanked the vinyl the day we moved in.
We've been using it as a "paint shop" to store our 20+ pint-sized paint samples, good cans of paint, used paint thinner, brushes, other tools...and oh yeah, I guess it SORT OF functioned as a bathroom (these pics don't do the filth justice...you had to be there).
Ceiling minus busted fan (see the old junction box...I got rid of it!)
Existing ductwork chase behind the mirror
Check out the remnants of this old back staircase that was turned into the duct chase and this half bath some time ago...
Even Andre couldn't look at the sink anymore!! He loves tuna...but a seashell bowl?!
And here was our special "friend" who'd come to pay us a visit.
No sooner had our feathered friend flown away did I realize that now that I had destroyed the place (OK...ended its misery) that I now needed to figure out how to put it back together! Stay tuned for Part II where the reconstructive surgery begins. :)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Introducing...
Meatball! The newest 26 East-er. No word yet on how the big kitty feels about him, they've only met under a doorway...so far.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatball
He's free and he needs a home! Alex wants to name him "Meatball" and we're sort of lovin' it better than "Paul" ---her second choice. :)
Should we???
More Groupon Love
Apparently by referring friends you earn Groupon bucks! Thanks to Evan's friend Sarah for pointing this out! So of course I am sharing my personalized link should you decide to join as well: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1792496
Thanks and Happy Groupon-ing!
Thanks and Happy Groupon-ing!
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