Blank

Blank. That is what happened to my mind during these shots. There is a time in your life when you will throw your underwear on stage for your favorite rock star - later you throw your babies at your favorite rock star. I wish I could say we shared a great conversation where I told him how much I enjoyed his music and my attachment to "Bartender Hook Me Up" but I can't. I was totally star-struck, mind was blank. I'm lucky the shots are in focus. The only thing I can remember is he smelled her head and said "mmmm smells good". You fans out there will recognize that statement from his live concert where he's said the same thing. Only difference is this was baby smell - not rock concert smell. For you non-fans out there...this is not a homeless man (as it may appear). ITS DAVE MATHEWS!!!! Turns out he likes the same coffee shop Olivia and I do. As the crowd started to thin out I heard this strange, but rather familiar grumbling low voice. I turned my head a bit and only got a slightly better earful of the grumbling low tones. I mouthed across the table to a friend "is that Dave?". My heart started racing as I read her lips say "yes". He was sitting right behind me. I have no shame - so when Dave (as I like to call him) got up from the table to get a coffee, I asked his table mate (his wife) if it would be okay to ask for a photo with the baby. I mean - who is going to say no to a baby?! She said he would be honored. When he returned, his wife helped introduce my request, I turned around and said "will you hold my baby" he said - "Why? Where are you going?" and I started taking pictures. It was such a chance encounter. I knew he lived here at least part time with his family and always hoped to 'bump' into him . What a great surprise that I would do it today! I just wish JR could have been there - he's the serious fan.

Sun God

Sun this time of year is wonderful - everyone celebrates. I found CAT lounging on the patio soaking up a few rays. She was eyes closed for a while, very relaxed.

We are slowly introducing contact between KID and CAT. Nothing too exciting yet. Olivia seems to be analyzing the situation nothing more. Here she seems to be concerned about something - perhaps the cause and effect relationshp between eating solid foods and size?

New Barista In Town

My coffee odyssey started with Gloria Jean's, then Krups Machine (remember the pretty gold spoons), next I sipped and studied at Espresso Royale, eventually Starbucks made me feel 'cool', finally 'prosuming' with Jon at the Pasquini. Now, Olivia Jean is learning the ropes.

Jon has eagerly awaited the day the Baby Bjorn would be acceptable to Miss Olivia. Today was the day. We decided she didn't like it set on the 23" infant...she prefers a 26" setting which provides much more clearance for her legs and probably doesn't make her hips spread so far apart. Whatever, works is my motto. Now the two of them are dancing around the house making breakfast, coffees....I'm going to see about slipping a vacuum and and mop into this one before it is over.

Picture Day!

I got out the fancy camera today, our fancy clothes and the backdrop. I wanted to see if I could take some ultra cute pictures without paying a photographer to do it. I didn't do so well - of the 100 or so (thank god for digital) I only have a few to show for the hour. These are basically cute but nothing like the professionals. I did some reading on flikr for advice setting poses and stuff. Almost all said to have an assistant - my main mistake. So I think we will reschedule the photo shoot for this weekend when I have an assistant during Olivia's smiling hour.

She's zero to cute faster than the camera can snap the photo.

Ding Dong the Witch is...

You can decide who the witch is in this story - the point is she sleeps. Great day yesterday. I was itching for a nice long drivvvvvvvvve (vroom vroom). So we headed over the mountains to Cafe Christa (my favorite German spot). We were both a bit worried how things would go for a long ride in the car seat of death but things were perfect. We had some beer, some brats, rhinesrouladen and spaetzle, then out for the count. She slept on the way over so JR and I could play with all the new toys. The two of us are a couple of button pushers I tell ya. The car will play streaming music from our phones through the mobridge bluetooth in the car radio (why would you want/need this?). Whoa, but we couldn't figure it out. The instructions of course say, do this, then that, and voila rock out. But we never got to rock out. All we did was scream at each other when one thought the other was going to hit something as we careened over the mountain pass hands on the wheel, eyes on the PCM computer screen. The car will do everything but drive itself.We have also adopted the use of the swaddle technique. Olivia has not yet lost her involuntary spastic movements of arms and legs at oh say bedtime-thirty. The swaddle seems to be helping her stay asleep for longer periods...in her own space. We had a 8 - 6, 11 - 5 and 10 - 6. I guess she can be trained.



Last pic of the day. One of the few of us as a three-some. I laugh at this photo because it was taken by a drunk woman in the beergarden. She was harmless and very sweet (and the pic is steady and centered). I just find it hilarious because - you know the myriad of questions - whats her name, how old is she, and if they talk to you long enough you get - how much did she weigh at birth. For some reason this woman felt necessary to congratulate me on 'pushing' that one out. Strange choice of words I thought, but then she wasn't thinking all that clearly I guess.

One-Two-Three

One


Two



Three (with a pillow for help).

We still need to work on this skill. But it sure is fun to take pictures of TIMBER....I'm quite certain she'll get even someday. Look at that face, right now she's totally under my control (well sorta). Not so long from now things will be entirely different I can see it - she's storing energy up in those cheeks!

Life Changing

Everyone tells you a baby will change your life forever. That is true around here for more reason than one. The latest reason is I pushed the work laptop aside (no more VPN'ing for "just a sec") and replaced it with the sewing machine. Poor Olivia will very soon be forced to wear Mom's homemade concoction. YIKES. At the moments I'm making baby gifts for friends. My latest invention is pretty burp cloths. A Walmart (or Target) cloth diaper with a pretty back to it. I don't go anywhere without one of these and now they have some style - you know frogs, penguins and busy bees - babystyle.

Everyone's Doing It

Cost cutting that is. I have to admit it - I enjoy BigLots, the Dollar Store even Goodwill on occasion. I'm not buying my underwear but just looking for something exciting. Its a sickness but I just love to know I paid $ and someone else paid $$ for the same thing. I love it even more when I know the ingredients to one things are EXACTLY the same as something else but the 'name brand' is the difference. Makes me feel so smart. So on this excursion I found a mobile for $8 bucka-roos. I didn't need the mobile (or all that nasty plastic attachment stuff) but I needed something to make the camels go long enough to take a shower. I found it and now we have a new obsession - camels spinning with noise. Just shaking the camels doesn't do it anymore.

I recently heard kids in A-town are leaving the tags on their clothes and wearing them to school. If I were in school today, mine would have all these extra prices and prices in red pen - and theirs would have the Original BIG price. Frugality is back in vogue - maybe kids will start to compete for who got what cheaper. Just think you could compete - you paid $$$ and I only paid $ for the same thing - then you could spout about the power of compounding interest. Now that would be cool.

Mini-Vans Not Allowed

I meant to get this done before the end of the year to take advantage of end of the year arm twisting but SOMEONE made her arrival early. Instead I had to scour the United States via Autotrader. The local dealer is on drugs with his prices so I had to go out of state. I still correspond via email with him telling him he's overpriced and he's still telling me how he will find me the right car at the right price. Lets just say he's still looking but I'm not. I found one in TX, had a friend all set to check it out and it sold. Bummer. That was awful because it made me much more eager on the next negotiation. I finally found another in Chi-town and one in Denver. I played the game with both dealers and won (who I am kidding...I got screwed). She was delivered on Wednesday and man does she purrrrrrr. I am very very happy with my first car purchase. I'm 34 and never bought a car - my parents kept hooking me up with their old rides...thank god they drive cool cars! Since it took me 34 years to get my first one this just might be my last, so I was sure to make it a good one.

The Big One

First flight, big dress, first time in church, big party, first bath in a salad bowl, second flight, second big snow storm driving in the car, first time she slept 7 hours in her own bed! It was a wild weekend. Olivia kept us busy on the flight home - and then she puked on landing. I think I was right about her NOT being a future pilot, oh well. As we drove home in another Seattle snow storm she screamed - Jon said take her out of that thing. I didn't...but I did crawl into the back (where there was no seat due to luggage) and hold my hand at an angle that even crown molding wouldn't call for. Then we got fed up with traffic due to how icy and dicey the roads were - so we turned around to go the back way. Ya, the back way. A few dead ends later (thank you google maps) and we were finally back on the way we recognized to home. 30 min later (hand still in awful angle but me now in the front seat with seat belt) we arrived at home. My favorite quote from the car ride when Olivia finally sucked herself to sleep...Stephani - "she should sleep until about 2" Jon - "I hope she sleeps until 2-morrow". I later asked Jon if he was ready for baby number 2....the response was VERY different than usual. Jon is not happy she cried on the airplane!!

Oh ya...and that stuff about the 7 hours of sleep. That's right we listened....we bathed her, fed her and rocked her to sleep in her own bed at 8pm last night. She needed some reassurance at about 10pm but then was lights out until 3:30am. I fed her again and then crashed with her and she is still sleeping as I write this at 7:30am. She's a sleeper no matter who's bed she's in!

What the heck is that?!

When was the last time you looked down and saw you hand and thought - "thats cool". Olivia has discovered her hands. Not sure if she knows its hers - and that she has two. So far the left hand is the coolest thing on earth - well maybe second to eating.

Top Ten Must Haves (in no particular order)

We've lived with baby for a while now, and consider ourselves the 'resident' experts of what works and what doesn't. Oh ya we've had those - "give me the baby" episodes, but all in all things are good. Couldn't be without the right gear - here is my list of thank god we had that and couldn't live with outs...

1. Bugaboo Stroller - I spent hours researching what stroller I wanted (the good'ol days of unlimited internet time....). I settled on a value priced luxury stroller and ended up with the luxury priced luxury stroller (thank you grandma). It came down to the ride - SMOOOOOOOTH. But the purchase has proven to be good, the independent panel (JR) constantly tells me how awesome it is. Its a bassinet, a pram, a car seat stroller...it holds shopping bags, Starbucks cups and of course babies! We've used this item almost every single day in one form or another. Once you get the folding and snapping stuff figured out you will never go back. JR loves walking the mall with our low weight equipment seeing those other models that look like they are getting ready to board an airplane with all that carry on luggage.

2. Cloth Diapers - for the spit ups not the butts. I tried the cloth diaper thing. It didn't suit me. But I love these for burp rags. I have them all over my house. I intended to be super crafty and make some fun looking ones using the cloth diapers - but she was early...so mine are still white. Maybe soon I'll get to the fabric store to get these done.

3. Bose Stereo - okay, maybe you don't have to have Bose, but a stereo is a nice to have in the baby's room. I put it above rocking chair. It is so nice to have fun music to sing, rather than whatever random crap comes to my mind (she appreciates that I'm sure). Not to mention when you are stuck in that room - rocking, feeding or whatever - you've got some entertainment. And thankfully JR loves me enough to buy the $99 ipod accessory. It was a splurge...thank goodness for a procrastinating husband that buys my valentine at 8PM day of. I'll have to remember not to get so mad next time - seems to be working for me.

4. BIG Swaddle blankets - you can't use the Gerber/carter ones from walmart, target, or any cute baby store. Babies grow so fast! You need these super awesome and super huge swaddle blankets that actually stay around their little wiggling bodies.

5. Zippered clothes - this is for the daddies and the times you button a outfit all the way up the legs and top only to find you are off by one stinkin' button. Just PLEASE, put your finger behind the zipper so you don't zip skin too. That hurts. You protect it when you zip yourself I'm sure...

6. Wipe Heater - At first glance this may seem like a luxury, but I'm telling you it saves you money. In the early days we didn't have this set-up. Every time we changed a diaper and hit her with the cold wipe, she peed...on her clothes, on me, on JR, on whatever she was laying on. Once we got the changing table assembled and put this in the system, the warm wipe treatment stopped the peeing. Now we use fewer diapers, change our clothes (and hers) less - serious money saver!

7. Petroleum Jelly - lather up in this stuff. Put one in the diaper bag, one on the changing table, one in your pocket. This keeps'em moist and reduces redness. Not to mention it keeps stuff from getting crusty down there if you don't change diapers every 2 hours - which is good because it means you are sleeping more than 2 hours.

8. Garbage Pale and dirty clothes hamper - strategically located and reasonable in size - Dirty diapers are bigger than you would think. We can't believe the amount of trash we are producing these days. Having something to toss those puppies in that you are willing to look at - is nice. Now just don't let it get filled up...empty that thing as frequently as possible.

9. Latch System in your car - makes car shopping so much faster. I think a kid is a necessary accessory for this task. you have an excellent excuse for a quick exit to skip the pitch.

10. Diaper Bag - get one that looks cool you'll be seen with it alot. A good friend recommended I get a 'unisex' one. Cause he'll need to use it too - she said! So actually JR picked ours out. Not too bad and he color coordinated with the stroller - smart man.

And honorable mention....Husband - I can't imagine doing this alone and greatly admire those who do. Its better to have someone here to yell at for not doing all that 'stuff' they should know to do without being told...I'd hate to not have anyone to yell at, at all. Here's super dad with kid and dish towel.

Scene of the Crime

We had a mystery to solve this morning.

Clue number 1:

Clue Number 2:

Clue Number 3 (with distance shot for proper perspective):

Guilty as charged with the act of eating so much you get to fat to fit through your custom made kitcat door to get to the shitbox.

To the best of our mystery solving skills we figure she went through the door...and took the door frame with her. The frame was discovered across the street in a neighbor's yard. The good news, is she made her way out of it - she's been in the house as normal (in/out/in/out). Currently no hard feelings are being displayed - but we sure laughed alot when we figured out what must have happened. No need for concern yet - but if we start cutting holes for Olivia to crawl through to go to the bathroom outside...you may want to step in.

Because no one should listen to good music through bad speakers. I think Olivia's room is finished. I blew my budget for plush toys and a mobile on a new Bose stereo...she'll thank me later. Now we can sing Old McDonald and the Muffin Man in style!

If the shoe fits...

And the steaks need flipping, wear the shoes!!! I'm not the only one that likes Jon's plastic shoes.

Love the Crafters

I'm a crafty - JR would say "a crapper", but I do like to knit and make home-made stuff - the laura ingalls wilder in me. Currently working on home-made baby annoucements. JR did the math and I could have paid to have them done for the cost of my materials. Unfortunately that is usually the case - I've found its never cheaper to make what you can buy. Sad but true.

Over the last few years, I've graced several friends with my home-made items, now it is my turn. Here is Olivia modeling a home-made outfit from an admirer. Doesn't she look cute?!

She Can Stay

We decided she can stay. One day before her 1 month b-day she survived a walk to the local coffee house! Perhaps memories of her very first visit?

Its the little things

For my birthday I got some great presents. These were JR's favorite. They are plastic 'jelly' shoes - with Burberry knock-off ribbons. I usually steal his slippers to run and get the mail, or go in the garage or flip the steaks on the grill. He hates this because it means he can never find his shoes...but I always know where they are (I honestly don't think that has anything to do with the fact that I wear them...). So now that I have my own stylish plastic sandals I'm not allowed to steal his anymore. My favorite gift was the re-appearance of my ankles - thanks Olivia!

Spare a Square

Life with baby brings all kinds of new adventures. Most seem reasonable and you laugh after each one - today I had one I didn't expect. I've been stranded in my bathroom without any TP before. And nothing is more fun than torturing the person stranded as they BEG you to go get them a new roll. So today with crying baby in hand I began the process I've already repeated many times - changing a diaper. Now with naked dirty crying baby I reached for the baby wipe...uh-oh empty. I was alone with no one to call to for help to "spare a square"! I swear I opened this baby wipe container no less than 5 days ago and its already empty! JR is an obsessive cleaner but I had no idea it would cost me so much in baby wipes. So, in this case to solve my dilemma, I put the naked dirty crying baby in the tub. My options seemed very limited. Olivia and I have already discussed the ROI of peeing in a brand new diaper 30 seconds after I've changed her (or before she's all sealed up even). Now I'm going to have to discuss with JR the ROI on baby wipes! This is ridiculous.

Open for Business

Bed and Breakfast Steph & Jon is open for business! The room is small, close to a crying baby's room, includes flat screen TV and Treadmill and oh ya...you have to cook your own breakfast. Hope to see you soon!

It Wasn't Me

I'm certain this has been said in every household...I swear lately it has been her!

Jekyll and Hyde

We decided we brought two daughters home from the hospital - don't know where she hid in the car seat! Most days we have our sweet Olivia who plays, coos and smiles all the time. But every once in a while at night we get mean Jean the hollarin' machine. We usually get a warning before she makes an appearance - but not always. Sometimes she just jumps out and gets ya! You got to watch out for the mean Jean in Olivia!

I should add a few footnotes....the question has been asked - why is Olivia Jean named Olivia Jean? Well....Olivia came out of thin air. We just liked it along with tons of parents out there apparently. It is the 10th most fav name for 2008. Let me put my foot down now - OJ is not an acceptable nickname, no way no how (unless she wins a Heisman trophy I guess maybe I'll think about it(. We went to the hospital with a few names but nothing picked for certain. Daddy was the first to get the tug towards Olivia. I came later after I saw her moving her mouth in the shape of O's - and decided that was a 'sign'. With her first name out of the way (at 2 days old now) - we went to work on the middle name.

Olivia has 2 special Jean's in her family so I decided to use this as her middle name. One Jean I know as the master of home-made (extravagant) birthday cakes, birthday parties, scrap-booking before it was popular and snow princess of Brighton High School. The second Jean was liberated before Gloria Steinem made it 'cool', the CEO of her own business and pretty much did things her way. All that spunk aside, one of the things I remember most is waking up to go to 'work' with her and the ritual of 'getting ready at the make-up table'. Hey, just because you have self confidence doesn't mean you don't have good clothes, hair and makeup! I hope Olivia's "Jeans" give her at least a few of these ladies characteristics.

The new essentials

Computer, remote, baby, diapers and wipes...the new must have list at our house! I'm sure you all think this is how I'm living life - actually this is how I found JR this morning. I had the late shift, he covered the early shift (when she slept!). It has been an interesting 3 days - not what we expected to be doing! The to-do list isn't finished, but I guess we just won't get to a few things for a while. We're having a much better time laughing about babies and poop.

Olivia Jean was born Friday December 19 quite unexpectedly because mom's body wasn't having it anymore. We joined the itchy mom's club and had the baby early. Everything was just fine - Olivia was a staggering 8lbs 20 inches at 36 weeks. We're all thankful she's early - can you imagine Olivia at 40 weeks? I don't want to.

Crown in a Day

JR has dropped cope master from his business card and replaced with crown master - he now does crown in a day. Our bedroom is done - yahoo. This time we mitred everything and caulked ourselves silly. Started the project at our normal crack of 4PM in the afternoon and finished by 9PM. Not bad considering a stop for dinner - and I'm fairly certain at least one coffee. The job is not completely done (of course...) we still need to paint ceiling and walls and install in-ceiling lights. I've wanted these lights for ever, but it requires wiring, going into the attic, new boxes, new switches (one each side of the bed). My goal is to toss the lamps in our room and just have these - I'm tired of cleaning the cat hair off the lamp shades. Instead of cleaning more often or ditching the cat - we need new lights. Then our room will be done, at least for now.

So what have we done this summer - just a quick recap (for myself if anything because I'm losing my mind):

epoxy garage floor

paint trim on house

finish garage walls

install gas grill on patio

new gas stove

new dishwasher

new timer switch in laundry room and front porch (remember the tick, tick, tick...)

re-do guest room - I mean the baby's room

crown in bedrooms

new counter tops

new garage door opener

hardwood on stairs (even garage step)

fix kitchen table

Still need to do:

fireplace in front room (gas is there!)

remodel master bathroom (I need a 5 piece or I'll die)

new fan in 1st floor bathroom and guest bathroom

new carpet

slate front door entry

new fridge and microwave (pending new models)

direct wire lights on patio

re-finish toy box/book shelf

create new guest room (MOVE THAT WEIGHT MACHINE!)

shelves in office instead of crown

I'm impressed, almost all projects were done by us only a few had supplementary help from American Express.

One Size Fits Most

A coupon arrived for a free item if you spent $12 at the Body Works. I feel it is a personal challenge to use these coupons and not give in to the devil marketers and spend more than the minimum. So I marched into the store and found $12 worth spending (aromatherapy hand soap - absolutely awesome Black Currant Vanilla) and picked up a free item. My free item was a pair of fuzzy socks with little grippers on the sole. Not only were they free - but extremely useful. I got them home thinking I was brilliant - until I put them on. I instantly felt stupid for not checking the size in my daze of excitement. Upon further examination of the tag the size was "one size fits most". Darn. On a good day I wouldn't qualify for that category and right now I'm not even in that game at all. They got me.

Whisper Quiet

You can't hear it opening - but I can't repeat what I heard during install! I honestly don't know how we do it. Nothing is simple or straightforward. Our garage door quit working because of a safety feature (a laser that points from the left and right side of the bottom of the garage opening to ensure no obstructions for close). My solution was to disable the safety feature, unfortunately the designers at Chamberlain won't allow that as a solution. We were faced with a choice (1) new garage door $200 or (2) new laser sensor $30. What did we choose? You guessed it - a new garage door - and not the $200 version. We bought the Chamberlain Premier Whisper Drive for $249 - you know....for the baby. Oddly - in the store, as we were debating the purchase for the T-day weekend project, another guy said don't do it - install is harder than you think. Did we listen - of course not.

So - install. You would think it would be simple, take down a chamberlain put a new chamberlain up. Funny thing was this new chamberlain has a longer track - Why? I don't know. We unfortunately have a weight bearing board that limits the space available. Try to imagine the moment where we lifted the new track up into position and it was 4 inches too long. The problem solving began and ended with boring a 3 1/2" hole into the header board of our garage and cutting the drywall off the back header board for the additional 1/2" needed. Insane - but finished with a fresh coat of paint and all. Cutting into those freshly finished walls was tough! But there she is installed right next to the air hose reel and power reel (which I hear are the two best purchases of JR's life).

Once install was complete we were dreading the 'learn' process for the remotes and the wireless key less entry - but here is where the $249 felt worth it. It was somehow already programmed - whew. And it really is significantly quiet - more than I expected.

She gets all the good stuff

Geez, when will this end?! I keep telling JR it will come to an end one way or another - pure exhaustion is most likely. Poor guy. I've kept him busy for the last 6 months and he's worn the same clothes through it all! This boy needs a pair of coveralls for xmas.

This weekend was closets and fun decorative details. We installed super closet organizers. They were cheap (MDF) and awesome. Totally designed for female installation. The website has the best 3D modeling tool I've seen for closet organizers -http://www.easytrack.com The most important step of installation is to find the stud (2x4 and male variety) - I'm a pro at this. I bought these super powered earth magnets from Amazon. They are so much more reliable than the 'stud-finder' - and you can leave them attached to the wall showing all the studs (very nice for crown molding). Finding the other stud - doesn't take a very strong magnet at all. Once we were done and I had everything hung up and out of the bags, JR said it looked like the closet displays in the container store! How does he know exactly what to say sometimes?

Our second accomplishment in as many days (this is a new record) is a decorative and potentially useful addition to the room. A ballet bar installed behind the door in the bedroom. We officially need a pink tutu - how many times in your life can you say that! The cope master (see previous post) proudly integrated one end of the bar to be flush with the wall - same screwy angle though - this corner is 140 degrees....and that bar is cut at a 45 degree angle. Three trips up and down the stairs! But once again....most importantly it is attached to the wall and looks GREAT!

Plenty of Trunk Space

I've lost many bets for what I didn't think would fit in this car...today I was hoping I had learned my lesson. The vet has an awesome trunk. And most importantly - this photo was taken in our garage.

The decorating party is in full swing. Crown molding is completely caulked, re-painted and walls touched up for the g-da&(!?it moments. Crib is assembled and now to decorate.

We found this Silver Cross English pram (handmade in the UK) while shopping for crib bumpers. I was looking for just the right ones. It was one of those shopping trips where you find something on sale and feel really good about it. So good, you pay WAY to much for something else. Somehow in life everything evens out.

We can't wait for the baby to arrive because......

that means the crown molding will be done! This was the cheer leading and supportive comments I got during 'baby prep' class. The instructions were to practice different 'comforting' positions for labor and the father's job was to whisper words of assurance and encouragement to the mom. These words would at least qualify as a good form of distraction - and as JR would remind me - I could be with the drunk guy at baby prep class. Life could be worse.

Crown molding is just about finished and really looks spectacular. In the beginning, we were going to do EVERY ROOM, then at one point we weren't sure we'd finish the one we started...and we've come full circle and may jump into a few more rooms in the future. We solved the puzzle. The secret to crown molding is not to cut each piece precisely at a 45 degree angle using a precise cutting fence - you'll fail. You have to use trial and error to 'discover' what the angle actually is because measuring doesn't tell you either. JR is still trying to figure out what angle the 140 degree inside corner is supposed to be cut at - I say the one he cut and attached to the wall (and then filled with putty is the right one!!). A little more putty, paint and touch-up this weekend and perhaps the crib we own will magically become assembled.

Adventures in Crown Molding

Every weekend seems to be a new adventure in something around here. I'm becoming less foreman (one who would pick-up a hammer) and more project manager (slave driver). Today was all about crown molding. As with most things, there is more than one school of thought for how to get the job done. This can be illustrated by the materials list for this project:

Hers:
crown molding
mitre saw
paint
goop to fill the cracks

His:
crown molding
mitre saw
coping saw
home built fixture/fence for cutting (seems to be all about the fixtures)
paint

The precision difference between his and hers is very interesting. He prefers the coping saw - I prefer the goop to fill the cracks. The project isn't done, so far my favorite quote of the day is - "I'm going back to 45's - coping sucks". Its still early and he seems to be getting better at it.

I've learned not to laugh out loud at the "coping Master" as he prefers to be called now.

Lunch & Learn

Every once in a while you attend a meeting where you learn a thing or two. I expected to have that experience today at an event highlighting company achievements. This meeting was focused on the attributes of one particular segment (movies). The meeting was well attended, almost completely filling Benaroya Hall. I sat in a box seat with some friends so I could skip the Q&A and head out to lunch early. WELLLLLL - that plan changed when this guy entered the stage for Q&A. WOW - this was a big surprise. I hadn't heard any of the underground rumblings about this. All of this and a paycheck every month too. It would have really been a huge day if I had a kindle under my chair like the Oprah show....but I guess you can't have everything.