the main reason i haven't been posting much lately

So I'm looking at my blogging status on the left hand side of the blog roll & it looks like in March (when I started back working about full time) I completely fell of the board with the blog posts.  Its a good thing that I got some work & can consequently pay some bills, feed my child (and myself & husband) & buy some much deserved beer.  BUT, it is disappointing that I haven't been keeping track of all the amazing firsts & goings on in our lives these past few months.  

I feel like I hardly have time to LIVE my life, much less the time it takes to blog about it later.  

Lets see....in the past few months:

I completed 40 hours of study/education & passed the National Mortgage Licensing exam (along with not to mention hours & hours of trying to navigate the horrendously cumbersome licensing website so you can be sure you are "legal).  I closed two loan transactions which are anything but easy these days with all the regulations now, I also got a Silver promotion in the chocolate business & lost 20 pounds on my "healthy chocolate" diet challenge!  I replaced one meal a day (not every day) with a protein bar & piece of fruit & didn't change anything else & I'm two full sizes smaller!  YIPPEE!  Topher slaves on the building project most days.  He works at the DEQ & then he comes home & works on the building.....see below.

We went to Tennessee for my sister Holly's wedding.

Stella is talking, practically walking, swimming & diving, EATING...still not really sleeping much....oh did I say EATING?  She loves to eat.  Good for her!....but we do go through a lot of diapers.

One of the main reasons that I have zero to less than zero extra time in the day is that we have this "little" project that has been going on in our backyard since, oh about two weeks after Stella was born.  

Topher took some time off work last summer when she was born, & instead of just relaxing & taking it all in he decided to yup, tear down the garage.  Its a good thing, it was going to fall down anyway of its own accord sooner rather than later, so why not be in charge of its demise.

The trouble with deconstruction is that it is so easy.  It lures you in with the charms of destruction.  It is oh so simple to demolish a building in 1 or 2 days.  However the act of Creation, well we all know how much longer it takes to create than it does to destroy.  Plenty of myths & stories & songs about all that.  You don't need me to go into it here.

So here is the shack before it had any sugar in it.  About a week after Topher went spider-monkey on it.....and then a couple weeks later....

.....and then a month later....

.....and then a few months ago....If you are keeping track, this pic with the trench across the yard is about 10 months gestation period.  So a little longer than it takes to grow a human being.  More along the lines of an Elephants gestation period I would say.

This was easily the most horrific of all the phases.  Not only is our basement full of crap & dug up, but the entire back yard was too.  Dirt, sawdust, debris, stuff & more stuff....EVERYWHERE>  It seemed like it would never be done at this point.  I had almost lost all hope.   I think this was during mercury retrograde too, so the slowdown was in the stars.....And then, POOF!  We had to bust some serious booty cuz everyone was coming here for the bday spectacular weekend for Stella & I.  So we got the whole yard cleaned up & the sheetrocker came & the mud & taper came & somehow it all came together.    

Mind you, it isn't "finished" by any means.  BUT it is down to the classic 90/10.  Where the last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time.....hmmm.....so I guess it FEELS like it is getting so close.  But maybe it is like summer in Portland.  You feel like it is really just around the corner & then it doesn't get here until the middle of July.  All I have to say is, I sure am glad I can see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point.  Floors are going in today, colors are picked out for the kitchen nook, painting this weekend, will get ikea cabinets & accessories this weekend & should be done with the most of it by the middle of next week!

YIPPEE!

When it is done, we are going to be turning it into a vacation rental.  Short term, 3 night minimum stays, month maximum (maybe 2).  So, if you know anyone looking for a quintessential portland experience & they don't want to stay in a hotel when they visit, let us know.  We'll be happy to put them up in the "Sugah Shack" aka "Casita Stellita" aka "Piedmont Cottage Bungalow".

One more thing, though.  There is a moritorium on building ANYTHING for at least a year after this is completed!!!  Topher never reads these blogs though, so he will probably ignore that.  But it totally takes over & I'd rather chase a rattlesnake into a corner at this point than build another "but its just a" project.