tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40706565207223494312024-03-05T01:26:04.224-07:00Morrise FamilyMorrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-69082375901074244772013-02-21T17:39:00.000-07:002013-02-21T17:39:13.373-07:00Master Bath<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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Hello blog. Long time, no talk. I should catch up more, but for now, here's my inspiration for when we remodel our master bath. Hopefully this project will occur some time before I die and will begin an end in less than a 2-year span of time.</div>
Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-46988357292567502872011-08-03T10:03:00.000-06:002011-08-03T10:12:17.958-06:00The Deck Saga<div style="text-align: left;">Since we've been here, we've had trouble figuring out what to do with the deck on the back of our house. The deck has held the original building permit on our house open for the last 7 years because it has never been completed. After getting a few professional opinions, we decided our best option was to start over. So, I reluctantly kissed all of my bathroom remodeling money good-bye and Matt started to tear down the deck. He spent several days taking all of the Trex off so we could reuse it, but it only took about 45 minutes to tear down the framing. Our posts are still standing because we plan to reuse them and finish the brick. <br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfQIQjtOChA4t_ofuUqCCZ1Pc62HUV4iXkta8LAIG3gQVqsG8CzZarsdBODlFYJ-sOTd0QuRxbncsERAzbm8B_dmPMus4s-o4F0ej7g-KZMXVH3ZinaAHAbrz_DyElisjlCXnsHzpGRA/s1600/Deck+020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfQIQjtOChA4t_ofuUqCCZ1Pc62HUV4iXkta8LAIG3gQVqsG8CzZarsdBODlFYJ-sOTd0QuRxbncsERAzbm8B_dmPMus4s-o4F0ej7g-KZMXVH3ZinaAHAbrz_DyElisjlCXnsHzpGRA/s400/Deck+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636660314421502802" border="0" /></a><br />One of the main reasons we decided to start over is that we were afraid we had water issues because the deck was never properly flashed. This was definitely confirmed by the state of the sheeting under the ledger boards on our bays. The ledger just fell off because the sheeting was so rotted. Hopefully the rot doesn't go beyond the sheeting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIClEmg-epEpKEIOPVObP0cnoW7gQf3CKHohX6fT5hyphenhyphencO1R3M00NeZU6O__-RgqdcWF20I7liiWrhD2fd2CCZ0IOYVPKCfK03szO4dCOEIQrSAFPacKl81WN26lJjB2VUEPSDoOzruRs/s1600/Deck+021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIClEmg-epEpKEIOPVObP0cnoW7gQf3CKHohX6fT5hyphenhyphencO1R3M00NeZU6O__-RgqdcWF20I7liiWrhD2fd2CCZ0IOYVPKCfK03szO4dCOEIQrSAFPacKl81WN26lJjB2VUEPSDoOzruRs/s400/Deck+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636660319181198562" border="0" /></a><br />The good news is that in a few weeks we should have a useable deck. One that our kids can actually go out on. One that has stairs from the yard so we can use our kitchen doors to go outside! One that will, hopefully, be so spectacular I'll forget all about missed opportunities to remodel bathrooms.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-1554557598913370362011-04-17T22:31:00.004-06:002011-04-17T23:10:58.996-06:00Tabula RasaHere's the exterior photo of our house from the real estate listing. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5630336204/" title="Exterior - Before by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5630336204_4010e90acf.jpg" alt="Exterior - Before" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />And here's the exterior now. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5629746981/" title="Exterior - During by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5629746981_5d9a6445c6.jpg" alt="Exterior - During" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />We've gotten a lot of compliments on how nice our house looks and all we've done is rip things out. This neighborhood is easy to please. I guess the take-home lesson is: nice plants + wrong location = ugly. <br /><br />In other yard news, I bought a crazy hippy lawn mower (the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-6201-18-Inch-5-Blade-Momentum/dp/B0045VL1OO">Fiskars Momentum</a>) and we love it!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecomowers/4370528943/" title="Momentum Mowe Front by ecomowers, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2780/4370528943_e03fa60427.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Momentum Mowe Front"></a>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-8750480199644158532011-03-31T22:23:00.004-06:002011-03-31T22:49:52.955-06:00I used to like painting. . .I've been painting. Surprise!<br /><br />I finished painting the trim in the hall and entry. I had to make a lot of repairs before I could start painting. The trim was really battered and the bottoms of the door jambs looked like this<br /><br /><a title="March 2011 017 by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5576317804/"><img alt="March 2011 017" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5264/5576317804_0c6020195f.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Now they look like this<br /><br /><a title="Door Jamb - After by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5575747431/"><img alt="Door Jamb - After" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5575747431_ed476173e7.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I filled the gaps with grout and then caulked. Certainly not great, but at least the kids can't put things in the holes anymore.<br /><br /><br />I painted the linen closet<br /><br /><a title="Linen Closet - After by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5578840346/"><img alt="Linen Closet - After" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5578840346_21d23f2476.jpg" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />And Winnie's closet<br /><br /><a title="Winnie's Room - Closet Wall by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5578829870/"><img alt="Winnie's Room - Closet Wall" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5578829870_4ca041e7c5.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I just need to finish painting the doors to offically be done with the paint in Winnie's room. I'm painting the hallway side of all my doors gray--a darker shade of the color on the walls. <br /><br /><a title="Door Paint by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5578263163/"><img alt="Door Paint" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5103/5578263163_f709c0f4f5.jpg" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />I painted one door and then decided that it wasn't quite dark enough so I had the paint retinted today. I might get the doors done this weekend, but since the weather is supposed to be so nice, we're going to work in the yard. Maybe the kids will get to jump on our trampoline. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5575709761/" title="Our Trampoline by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5575709761_e35c232bcd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Our Trampoline"></a><br /><br />See it there sticking up above the dirt? Matt started to dig the hole out and this is what we found<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5575713823/" title="Trampoline Hole Fill by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5575713823_906aab8bf1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Trampoline Hole Fill"></a><br /><br />Hardened 80 lb bags or mortar. They totally fill the hole and start about 6 inches down. That will be hours of trampoline fun.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-78839630246453617812011-03-09T21:43:00.004-07:002011-03-09T21:57:25.690-07:00The House, LatelyHall before<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5503539859/" title="Hallway "Before" by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5291/5503539859_c849a06310.jpg" hall="" in="" progress="" /></a><br /><br />Hall in progress<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513989554/" title="Hall - In Progress by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5513989554_5ae3f92c63.jpg" alt="Hall - In Progress" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Entry before<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5504129588/" title="Entry "Before" by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5504129588_d48020a874.jpg" alt="Entry "Before"" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Entry in progress<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513996470/" title="Entry Hall - In Progress by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5513996470_d6fdb4ef5d.jpg" alt="Entry Hall - In Progress" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Family Room before (sorry about the small picture--it's from the listing and I forgot to take any others before I started painting)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513590697/" title="Family Room Listing Photo by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5513590697_cf85cbb5df.jpg" width="280" height="210" alt="Family Room Listing Photo" /></a><br /><br />Family Room in progress<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513384009/" title="Family Room Painting - In Progress by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5014/5513384009_46cee4cba8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Family Room Painting - In Progress" /></a><br /><br />I should be farther along in my painting, but I keep getting distracted and doing things like this<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513970468/" title="Origami Butterfly Bunting by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5513970468_32b4a6243b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Origami Butterfly Bunting" /></a><br /><br />and like this<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5514002048/" title="Tissue Paper Blossoms by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5293/5514002048_46352841dd.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Tissue Paper Blossoms" /></a><br /><br />and like this<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5503621491/" title="MMMCrafts Messenger Bag by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5135/5503621491_4c6644e7d6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="MMMCrafts Messenger Bag" /></a><br /><br />P.S. If the bag happens to be your birthday present, pretend you didn't see it here first. :)Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-74837777465140960952011-03-09T21:38:00.004-07:002011-03-09T21:43:50.227-07:00Us Lately<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5504126570/" title="March 2011 041 by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5504126570_450d4e0fef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="March 2011 041" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5503534595/" title="March 2011 040 by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5091/5503534595_6deca615f5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="March 2011 040" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5504240396/" title="MMMCrafts Messenger Bag by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5504240396_f5032ccd5d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="MMMCrafts Messenger Bag" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5513314921/" title="Luke celebrates 2 by hopskotchy, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5513314921_414bf550e5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Luke celebrates 2" /></a>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-28087399801236643772011-02-04T13:15:00.002-07:002011-02-04T13:33:25.162-07:00The pink room has grown on meWe've been working on the "cutification" of Winnie's room.<br /><br /><a title="Winnie's Room - After by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5416727074/"><img alt="Winnie's Room - After" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5220/5416727074_0dfe63b08f.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a title="Winnie's room - After by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5416125125/"><img alt="Winnie's room - After" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5416125125_18193fcb59.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a title="Winnie's Room by hopskotchy, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/5416160323/"><img alt="Winnie's Room" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5416160323_384a8d16f3.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />We now have a room that feels mostly done--as long as you don't look at the closet wall. I still need to paint the closet and the doors are still off awaiting paint.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-52031807170962847362011-01-23T20:57:00.010-07:002011-01-23T22:11:45.450-07:00Winnie's Room. Before & After (sort-of)<div>It took a month, but I have finally painted a room in our new house. I started with Winnie's room because it was small, the walls were in the best shape, and I didn't like how the dark color made the room feel like a cave. I wanted a light, bright room and Winnie just wanted pink. Here are the before shots of the dark plum colored walls.<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565597164073280994" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9iG0x-ifP04ouF0zU5R2qvnk1YJ2hkJNfm2NYVCeD-0vF2SaI0w3VoVlzvOik6oFi6YOkqCZlJuVEPNsKyB3pxzHnfab1FP3hyphenhyphenuvGTQ7_oFyn0T_AqsFLSSuGd9aGBFK-Z2UnGn_Nzk/s400/029.JPG" border="0" /><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"></span></u><br /><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vMPPpUo4MBDGPZR8ehPP55BtPB4V8hXZ9kGMtCyhtO_6Av9JAgvrqmrL_n_RAMRjoPFvF8FyaAVOtwZwX1GQLJWcWxd6uIMEhuEzAZE8Bq6QN_9rDMXJxFep_9CTWJGDoUlfAoPezhk/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565597155805318066" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vMPPpUo4MBDGPZR8ehPP55BtPB4V8hXZ9kGMtCyhtO_6Av9JAgvrqmrL_n_RAMRjoPFvF8FyaAVOtwZwX1GQLJWcWxd6uIMEhuEzAZE8Bq6QN_9rDMXJxFep_9CTWJGDoUlfAoPezhk/s400/020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I don't think the pictures really reflect how dark this room felt, or how banged up the walls were. And they certainly don't reflect how the pink on the closet doors clashed with the purple on the walls.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Here's one wall patched and ready for paint. Keep in mind that I started with this room because the walls were in the best shape, so it would require the least work to paint.<br /><br /><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565598090825866034" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQDDoTsyllzDb2JrynFhBYvlMPMk9NsrwSp3JNCv7rFSi1hdJ1Htt_L-QY8E9LwcpWIzlEWqIVDXHFLTTyUrHrgN3nwuMrJkuE7PaFkcSzFIVSHk1Wo4gBFtM3mCkwcO9xpmD6Crv1t8/s400/032.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><p>One coat of primer and two coats of paint on the walls. Three coats of paint on the ceiling. Two coats of paint on the trim. The trim and ceilings in our house are beige instead of white. I think painting Winnie's ceiling a brighter white made the biggest impact in brightening up her room. Here's the contrast in the ceiling before and after.</p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNWIF1Io6CQ4Lm-H2TxgtYYiWZ9Hsiv6cxKDX8anXVyPQq28ndAOD-ObxTzAdHwdFF314m9iCLzQx12U7b6A8w1w9cVZlFYyDFKIJwD0ka4aG3Qwdn0UiVWZQkma1exbUCEn3tX7-0qc/s1600/034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565600967739210546" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNWIF1Io6CQ4Lm-H2TxgtYYiWZ9Hsiv6cxKDX8anXVyPQq28ndAOD-ObxTzAdHwdFF314m9iCLzQx12U7b6A8w1w9cVZlFYyDFKIJwD0ka4aG3Qwdn0UiVWZQkma1exbUCEn3tX7-0qc/s400/034.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p>And finally a pink princess room. At first I wasn't crazy about the color, but Winnie loved it so much I decided to leave it alone and now it's grown on me. I think once I get a few things on the walls to break up all that pink it will look better. You'll notice I still haven't painted her closet and bedroom doors - they need to be sanded down so you can't see the ridge where the panels were painted. I also want to try spraying the doors instead of painting them with a brush.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ztd3TRx6dUtdkx2-dUp19zzmQm0r-Mx4lw7vYdKodX55hy11OItACxJUY_Mcqurlk4zyJOgEv_Y76qcjOoGesWvfu-zDsjtvl9ZrXB0By2HeejyIv4UadsXcUvssHj55SZ7prggpqP8/s1600/041.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565597650260524210" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ztd3TRx6dUtdkx2-dUp19zzmQm0r-Mx4lw7vYdKodX55hy11OItACxJUY_Mcqurlk4zyJOgEv_Y76qcjOoGesWvfu-zDsjtvl9ZrXB0By2HeejyIv4UadsXcUvssHj55SZ7prggpqP8/s400/041.JPG" border="0" /></a><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"></span></u><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUsXzXSz8k3CZl8MIJaeg6G_2wI7ejMxsQRqScFvlFMMVbyC7rr_NkIZ3QyweNzXhm9jM70uHDwswbfCGuA1Kr7uTtA7OQHlc9wf13KtFnhrRQXGUcxTQLFPftLVj6WB4iXYnaKN7imY/s1600/040.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565597642030407602" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUsXzXSz8k3CZl8MIJaeg6G_2wI7ejMxsQRqScFvlFMMVbyC7rr_NkIZ3QyweNzXhm9jM70uHDwswbfCGuA1Kr7uTtA7OQHlc9wf13KtFnhrRQXGUcxTQLFPftLVj6WB4iXYnaKN7imY/s400/040.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br />I have some white curtains to hang, a white mirror to go over the dresser, a wall lamp to go over the bed and some art to hang before we're finished with Winnie's room, but for now it's nice to have one room that feels fresh and clean.</div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-62113669540965090182010-12-06T18:57:00.006-07:002010-12-06T19:44:33.900-07:00Bumps in the roadIt's official. We are no longer home owners. We closed on the sale of our house Friday. The new owners take possession on Saturday. Late last week it was looking like we were going to be able to get into our new house with time to spare before we hand over the keys to this house. The sale of this house was going smoothly, and our financing was all arranged for the new house pending the results of last Thursday appraisal. Sadly our appraisal on the new house brought all of that to a screaching halt. The house appraised for more than we're paying (yay!), but it turns out we can't get financing for the new house without adding a railing to the never completed back deck. No big deal, you might think, until you find out that the deck looks like this--<br /><div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547755364733092274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRWlgPvSoSHVAPRRTaOrUwXRWL6ODZ7kI2AlHvFKSdnsZJ-Yd0j999jT8IH5PwCyTrVkBbReHbXPf9kNZCgtESXqjCSafp4qJvMrDNOABgBtF0viXFz-8uO1sFsYG3sWqP8cQJnmCgxM/s400/Appraisal+pic+-+back+deck.jpg" /></div></div><br /><p>42' x 10' and falling apart. Matt and I were willing to put a railing on even still, but then we realized that it would require a permit. I called the city and found out that there is already an outstanding permit--not just for the deck, but for the whole house! That opens up a whole new can of worms. Given the current condition of the house (broken windows, over-spanned deck beams, etc) I don't think there's any way an inspector would come out and pass off the railing without requiring that we fix all of the other problems. The permit has been open long enough that the city could make us bring anything and everything in the house up to the current code if they wanted to. I don't know how much code has changed in the last 6 years, but it wouldn't take much for the costs to add up. So we're negotiating with the bank that owns the house and trying to decide who's going to put up a railing and if we want the building permit to be closed before we're willing to buy.</p><p>On a brighter note, check out the color scheme of one of the bedrooms!</p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547764488161814658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g58K_k2nWoAvChBI03au5b-MS1TIukmuepBmcb1Yt6sU3Rhz1cfDwwIsJwNqULxu9mnSCwRbc_V5S-hTrTK4_N5acNAbLY06_FZdXso-1t2609Y3DnhhFAnGb_pU9ewb0m9hANeob_Y/s400/Inspection+-+downstairs+bedroom.jpg" /></p><p>I think this example probably sums up why we want to repaint every square inch of the house. Sadly, this room looks better in the photo than in real life!</p>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-16382118764959414972010-11-22T23:42:00.006-07:002010-11-23T00:12:13.145-07:00Out with the old and in with the newGuess what! We sold our house! We showed our house 36 times. I think that equates to about 100 extra hours of cleaning so I'm very glad it's over. We close on the sale on December 8<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Yay</span>! Homeless in time for the holidays. <br /><br />Actually, if we're very good, Santa might be able to get us into our new house in just a couple of weeks. New house, you say? Yes, we're under contract on this lovely house in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Springville</span>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFSOFmzofwzZ-O4UGgiQfjkNO-XDzGXsGolIa7RXkdfzs3CwGP_8hR1KclqjgtCawSbQe0iW0ehu5qnuEDkRUpvurXqE9E05SIsflq1D27yV7GBU8L9LlnNYnazXaZHzT9JUyA_60xj4/s1600/Listing+photo-exterior+front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542633225995900098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFSOFmzofwzZ-O4UGgiQfjkNO-XDzGXsGolIa7RXkdfzs3CwGP_8hR1KclqjgtCawSbQe0iW0ehu5qnuEDkRUpvurXqE9E05SIsflq1D27yV7GBU8L9LlnNYnazXaZHzT9JUyA_60xj4/s400/Listing+photo-exterior+front.jpg" /></a><br /><br />(Please excuse the smoke bush trying to devour one side of the house. The yard could use a little TLC). <br /><br />Dream house? I'm not so sure. It's about 100 years to new to be my dream house, but this is the first house we looked that I didn't think needed a major remodel. The current interior isn't exactly my style, but I probably wouldn't have liked it if I couldn't think of some projects to do. There are some things I love about the house like the kitchen--it's laid out exactly how I would have chosen to have it if I had built the house with fantastic features like big deep drawers and a cabinet for cookie sheets right next to the stove.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542632964248781394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqXS2mofEJtQrysyRJKyQKEj9ATXpAezgB9yn0lcVuaGDgNlj138Tu8dDICA2rPgTk9_Gln4P5G8rqOUqW5d4Qu2giDvoRTIA2sNlE2aSC7nxjWcjCVkg3zcdK7Bth3CBWDy4g1DiNzk/s400/Listing+photo-Kitchen.bmp" /><br /><br />And there are some things I don't love about the house. The master bath for example:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GvU4It8kWQvz1_phy4Pixs0DB0Iyyy8Lgolrvi7DJ4Y2AtVgFxVS8Bd5U51MyK4wQ4U_r9RJO4GRLIOJzLLQCUkuwgo8Bh02C0oHY-XstrqJZ54k2M0k7UjcfU3jYJ6eTCiS7iDkpDs/s1600/Listing+photo-Master+bath.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542632992568739634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GvU4It8kWQvz1_phy4Pixs0DB0Iyyy8Lgolrvi7DJ4Y2AtVgFxVS8Bd5U51MyK4wQ4U_r9RJO4GRLIOJzLLQCUkuwgo8Bh02C0oHY-XstrqJZ54k2M0k7UjcfU3jYJ6eTCiS7iDkpDs/s400/Listing+photo-Master+bath.bmp" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZG4Bt7KSiQcqOUxaamaDqmbuh04wfXMsgv3s8VIrkEMi_ZPY4s0sPAFH0HSuS0TYAtXN8SjedMx9Lz05IGQJ_rKS9vtTJ3LU_4liNsKDgqtkf3YI-o1uCrT0aZ1Mbp1npC0wdNDRjt0/s1600/County+Photo+2.jpg"></a>Doesn't it look like it would be soothing and restful to lean your head against a wall of uneven stones?</div><div> </div><div>The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a formal living room, great room and laundry up and an unfinished basement down. The house is on a hill so most of the basement is daylight. The future family room in the basement even has a set of french doors that walk out into the back yard. Upstairs there is a deck that spans the whole back of the house and can be accessed from the great room or the master bedroom.</div><div> </div><div>The house is a lot bigger and nicer than I was expecting to be able to buy. I feel a little bit spoiled. I'll have a cold storage room! A garage! A pantry! A big, unfinished basement, just waiting to be anything I want it to be! For a while I think we'll just rattle around the house not knowing what to do with so much space (over 3x our current square footage), but everyone tells me that we shouldn't have too much trouble figuring out how to fill it up.</div><div> </div><div>Now wish us luck in trying to get our closing dates to line up with each other!</div></div></div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-76826463409709200352010-08-16T21:44:00.006-06:002010-08-16T23:20:23.367-06:00A house obsession updateSo, my dream house sold, and not to us. We weren't the first offer in the line, but all signs seemed to point to our offer being the one the bank was most likely to take. Don't trust the signs. Currently the house has a contractor's sign out front and really BIG dumpster on the drive, but not much else seems to be happening. I'm scared to drive by, but too curious not to.<br /><br />We also made an offer on a bank-owned house in the Edgemont neighborhood. Edgemont is a good compromise between Matt and I. The neighborhood is old enough that the houses still have character, but they don't require quite as much work as my dream house. The house in Edgemont was a really good fit for our family, but it was also a really boring ranch. The yard was the redeeming factor in my eyes. The bank liked our offer, but not our closing terms. We'd set our closing date at the end of August and they balked at having it out so far. Unfortunately, that house is now under contract.<br /><br />Our house has been on the market for just shy of two months now and we've had a lot of lookers, but no buyers so far. This is good and bad. Bad because it's really a pain to try and keep my house clean enough to show at a moment's notice! A lot of our stuff is packed away and I don't feel like I can start anything that will make a mess--like making bread or sewing. The good part of all this is that, right now, there isn't a house on the market that we're really interested in, so we're not feeling rushed to get out of this one. Tonight Matt and I took some video of the best options out there right now, but we've decided we aren't going to make any offers until an offer comes in on our house. We dropped the listing price of our house today, so hopefully we'll get an offer soon.<br /><br /><br />Matt's and my wants for a house seem like they would meld the best if we could build a custom house (of course). I surfed online floor plans, looking for a house that contained all of my ideal elements--a studio for Matt, a craft/sewing space for me, a good mud room that could be the main family entrance, an eat-in kitchen with good views of the yard and at least 3 bedrooms on the same level. I actually found a plan that is almost exactly what I would have come up with if I'd been working with an architect--the <a href="http://www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com/Lakeland_Unique_Cape_Cod_House_Plan.html">Lakeland Cape Cod</a> from <a href="http://www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com/Lakeland_Unique_Cape_Cod_House_Plan.html">simplyeleganthomedesigns.com</a>. Here's the floor plan.<br /><br /><br />First floor:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 333px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506224402809595314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWafgsb9sVNevIyCHz2ESAqHIJncnJvGZk-hkMrl-QWxNdqgj4ZL-vkUVq6LpNyakUxHPSLbcJZqF5Jjf-gywA4X9CwJOQCVFWkUTMLeAKjyLSmBxD2FL93RPHa2qX869FdGgL0bMlPvE/s400/1st+Floor.jpg" /> Second floor:<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 349px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506224495599060418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mQTl2kBaPl0cKf8fR9s5dT_48E6mhEBJIzKbU5wmEclGGTyFIQxEr8h1U73pDYBUUsiXRCos4Lgek2xQTnKUxOaiccVaet_LVrr9DeT5IrRn3dIYbQN64U3IoaUJI7sEjCogUv9dF3o/s400/2nd+Floor.jpg" /> I created a gallery of interior/exterior photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopskotchy/galleries/72157624711320160/">here</a>.<br /><br />(My only complaint is that the house is a little too big. If we were really to build I might work with the architect to see if we could scale it all down a bit.)<br /><br />I was really getting behind the idea of building until we started to look at lots. Lots in the Edgemont neighborhood cost as much or more than houses! How can this be? How can anyone afford to build a house--you're instantly upside down. I guess they are depending on people who plan to stay in their house forever and don't care about the market value? The lot we really like is .31 acres and would fit this house plan really well, but it's listed for $134,900. That is $10,000 more than our new listing price for our townhouse and only $50,000 less than a house of comparable size and acreage just sold for only two blocks away. Maybe we could build the garage for $50,000 and live in a studio for a few years while we save up. I'm sure the neighbors would go for that!Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-47484031749979936982010-06-23T20:40:00.006-06:002010-06-25T14:57:59.423-06:00All dressed up and ready to sellAs of tomorrow morning, our house is officially on the market. We took the pictures and signed the contract tonight and the listing should be up in the morning. I was just done vacuuming when the photographer got here. There's no way I would have made it without the help of my sister-in-law who ended up watching the kids all day! Thanks, Jenny!<br /><br />We packed up, paired down and painted to try and make our house show better. Here's a little tour:<br /><br />The front--with a for sale sign!<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6mZMRuDclJEi5kMf81VKtracNf3T-DTd6PK7ERxt2Z3GdMMm6LLMXTZwfYOKU6qgS3awlBXiNk4e34-AX7hy7-EBSgKruVOBVLTQCcI27n8jEuE8oPCs5jlyqbpW8mCrfs4tlIBfqEs/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486166044424406882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6mZMRuDclJEi5kMf81VKtracNf3T-DTd6PK7ERxt2Z3GdMMm6LLMXTZwfYOKU6qgS3awlBXiNk4e34-AX7hy7-EBSgKruVOBVLTQCcI27n8jEuE8oPCs5jlyqbpW8mCrfs4tlIBfqEs/s400/006.JPG" /></a><br />Looking into the living room<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IeepgdpqSXnkYM4RTQiShnucPnecZbk4UjHw1UL9GJ3H0lXB1mYniMWf_4xMwIvZzrAE-mJwS621HTlzFOmEGw0z8HYNLa6F8vTox1IT8a9n0LEBGS86Wy3dFq4Y3qfl2EOC90FM3TE/s1600/Sale+Photos+011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486166085005063346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IeepgdpqSXnkYM4RTQiShnucPnecZbk4UjHw1UL9GJ3H0lXB1mYniMWf_4xMwIvZzrAE-mJwS621HTlzFOmEGw0z8HYNLa6F8vTox1IT8a9n0LEBGS86Wy3dFq4Y3qfl2EOC90FM3TE/s400/Sale+Photos+011.JPG" /></a> </div><div></div><div></div><div>The living room facing the window</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm23dIkX43NfCn6AF9GpkkMR1aTXgkE8stjZIv0el5hCXQcbthW_hhl9rD2005itit5X3vATAxyoDpMhgs37atfqdhq2fh2BSn6NuzFRET5zKFtMRwjKrSgMzNV4TrnYCg6z6dIDpNsUE/s1600/Sale+Photos+013.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486167341470724482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm23dIkX43NfCn6AF9GpkkMR1aTXgkE8stjZIv0el5hCXQcbthW_hhl9rD2005itit5X3vATAxyoDpMhgs37atfqdhq2fh2BSn6NuzFRET5zKFtMRwjKrSgMzNV4TrnYCg6z6dIDpNsUE/s400/Sale+Photos+013.JPG" /></a> </div><div>The dining room<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudiGANuLHO_ln6UAe_nqIuELSKaZps66Mj1Uz4W8GqylzzSzE5uqLSHlM1zMrBXMnY05gzL_e2BpUjQOe-ryARdKgDdJglOXqK-ClV4fL1EF0Zr0i349bMyDSt9LTelzwX54pFifupGI/s1600/Sale+Photos+010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486166069188338690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudiGANuLHO_ln6UAe_nqIuELSKaZps66Mj1Uz4W8GqylzzSzE5uqLSHlM1zMrBXMnY05gzL_e2BpUjQOe-ryARdKgDdJglOXqK-ClV4fL1EF0Zr0i349bMyDSt9LTelzwX54pFifupGI/s400/Sale+Photos+010.JPG" /></a> The kitchen<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrpaSfOysrWElHkdUNeebE3G5F14rp9Qq155cStvQuJEyjVQhmXi353Txri-Ss6sgyLpPHsTr2NSu7nUb-8B8RvG93FbnWJ9k4ok_0eVDaf3rE-cY9ShOGQDdT-Kt3BH1I624Sjq9Mjo/s1600/Sale+Photos+008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486166051824708530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrpaSfOysrWElHkdUNeebE3G5F14rp9Qq155cStvQuJEyjVQhmXi353Txri-Ss6sgyLpPHsTr2NSu7nUb-8B8RvG93FbnWJ9k4ok_0eVDaf3rE-cY9ShOGQDdT-Kt3BH1I624Sjq9Mjo/s400/Sale+Photos+008.JPG" /></a></div></div></div><br /><br /><br />Upstairs bathroom<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486167334221836034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0jxtBzrg0sm_WGByaIlEkIOHsewPlm3O_cfAQ2loyjSSuofJnKP5VWWFZXhJ2r8CAnERQhFinGmo01DOyb3LTM9LpuC5dmGODYlRPwKw8zSqQ1U0rJTDcFL3PlHiNkBiNhsstQeqxCY/s400/Sale+Photos+018.JPG" /><br />Master bedroom<br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfk0NLvUgzcwdOTmfPeV7ID6cS280U3sREED9DDTQeIbITWJYxMImrhoSLlkgAYsLQWZ3-Ea7Q6OcEmSIe2zQ6ERq6S53TlDGeVcIrb2-wavnLRY6kpv0MJH1EVw_0Z2vHwwlTZZIxXI/s1600/Sale+Photos+016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486167320620241346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfk0NLvUgzcwdOTmfPeV7ID6cS280U3sREED9DDTQeIbITWJYxMImrhoSLlkgAYsLQWZ3-Ea7Q6OcEmSIe2zQ6ERq6S53TlDGeVcIrb2-wavnLRY6kpv0MJH1EVw_0Z2vHwwlTZZIxXI/s400/Sale+Photos+016.JPG" /></a><br />The kids room<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4V3aHMyG1WwI0J7QsUB9LBNLeDiVrqQRQrQOPgtXg0Ku4YYhEw4N4oVSWBgV8wPEZvI732J8NyRU1f2cFALpMCWYotZwoC6mUO16DkUlBOFC7z14xz8W9Gycg9DuQaV4XmUEn2_0hCg/s1600/Sale+Photos+015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486166090569489746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4V3aHMyG1WwI0J7QsUB9LBNLeDiVrqQRQrQOPgtXg0Ku4YYhEw4N4oVSWBgV8wPEZvI732J8NyRU1f2cFALpMCWYotZwoC6mUO16DkUlBOFC7z14xz8W9Gycg9DuQaV4XmUEn2_0hCg/s400/Sale+Photos+015.JPG" /></a></div></div><br /><p>I think most of our rooms look pretty good in photos, except the kitchen. I would love to have had time to paint it to brighten it up and simplify the color scheme, but it's not going to happen. At the rate I finish projects I would need at least a year.</p><p>Of course, there are still a lot of little things that need to be done. Hopefully we can get to most of them tomorrow.</p><p>6/25/10 - Our <a href="http://2363w540n.willsellquick.com/">listing</a> is up!</p>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-56738905020555123092010-05-27T22:10:00.003-06:002010-05-27T22:38:20.110-06:00The Times They Are a-Changin'Matt started a new job on May 17th. He's working for HotDocs Corporation, managing their technical support operations. While he's not working as an attorney we both felt like this was the right job for right now, since it would allow us to accomplish several of our goals--particularly allowing me to quit my job and stay home with Winnie and Luke. My last day of work is June 30th. I actually gave my notice on May 5th and I think it's taken until today for it to sink in that I'm quitting. I've been there for 10 years now! I'm really excited for the transition, but somehow knowing that it's coming to an end is making everything at my job seem fresher and more interesting than it has in years. At least that should make this last month of work go quickly. Matt's been sworn into the Utah bar, so he's going to be doing some legal work on the side to keep up his skills. In fact, he's already got a case he's working on.<br /><br />The other big change we're looking forward to is buying a house. In fact, we made an offer on <a href="http://morrisefamily.blogspot.com/2009/09/261-e-100-n.html">the house </a>that I haven't been able to stop talking about for the past year. The house is headed to foreclosure and we made short sale offer, so we have no idea whether or not the bank will accept. We're crossing our fingers and waiting. The bank has until June 30th to respond. If the bank doesn't accept our offer we'll probably try to buy the house at the scheduled trustee's sale on June 29th. It would be the biggest birthday present ever!Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-57566948551452632792010-04-30T14:18:00.004-06:002010-04-30T14:43:05.796-06:00A Post About NursingI came across a blog post about breastfeeding today, via a friend's blog. I wish I had seen more posts like this 3 years ago. I spent the first two months of Winnie's life doing nothing but nursing, pumping, visiting lactation specialists and doctors, taking every galactagogue known to man and feeling depressed and guilty that I was failing at what should be the most natural part of motherhood. The last thing I needed was strange women in the grocery store check-out line chiding me for not breastfeeding. <a href="http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/04/05/lets-just-feed-them-shall-we/">Let's just feed them, shall we?</a><br /><br />Disclaimer: At the top of the post there's a picture of the author breastfeeding. Don't follow the link if that makes you uncomfortable.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-83415259988933645822010-04-25T21:55:00.004-06:002010-04-25T22:08:42.716-06:00MenusI updated the menus on my side bar for the coming week. We threw a party for Matt's graduation last Friday and this week's menu is heavily influenced by the leftovers. If there are a lot of heavy winter foods on the menu, it's due to the fact that it's supposed to be 80 degrees Tuesday and then snow and rain Wednesday through Saturday.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-46756846152137396862010-04-01T20:25:00.002-06:002010-04-01T20:30:58.563-06:00Luke's First Hair Cut<div>In honor of Luke's first birthday (although a little late) he got a haircut tonight.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskBMKwQp22wNJu-liEzY3A7YSyZqbYIBcbL73gSrG7obhm0uVpJYfFnwtfVBCOpP3emC6G4DQ5eJj4GDg_PgIhApm8-celqsN28yiknuseECS7bmW4Sm7hdKyoGyHmpIlFaaTwel8nuM/s1600/Luke's+1st+Haircut+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskBMKwQp22wNJu-liEzY3A7YSyZqbYIBcbL73gSrG7obhm0uVpJYfFnwtfVBCOpP3emC6G4DQ5eJj4GDg_PgIhApm8-celqsN28yiknuseECS7bmW4Sm7hdKyoGyHmpIlFaaTwel8nuM/s400/Luke's+1st+Haircut+001.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455361234317061026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfwcUVeK_nTceca2vpdvhITNM26QNHynkWwRXookjCqZHp48udiZDNQeLbemts76t7vpYkatka-Uh8iIms6rd2y9YmIvNkETtUY1pjknb72ABR51a9dzwG1jyZ7Ll8hgU2wYES_x7sNM/s1600/Luke's+1st+Haircut+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfwcUVeK_nTceca2vpdvhITNM26QNHynkWwRXookjCqZHp48udiZDNQeLbemts76t7vpYkatka-Uh8iIms6rd2y9YmIvNkETtUY1pjknb72ABR51a9dzwG1jyZ7Ll8hgU2wYES_x7sNM/s400/Luke's+1st+Haircut+002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455361227260346706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1LmlCNC7ETQEpTWlP8EAzAdEEg8RPaYiLHQwD9JHdd3UYu4YQAcTQITIm4PibwOVJndu9FN4j3DzwQ89WE_yD1-iwiYv4O9D1faWg2Jsn2ekRB-lQE5lyufEi5YUtKCQL0wh6qFRTGE/s1600/Luke's+1st+Haircut+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1LmlCNC7ETQEpTWlP8EAzAdEEg8RPaYiLHQwD9JHdd3UYu4YQAcTQITIm4PibwOVJndu9FN4j3DzwQ89WE_yD1-iwiYv4O9D1faWg2Jsn2ekRB-lQE5lyufEi5YUtKCQL0wh6qFRTGE/s400/Luke's+1st+Haircut+008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455361211055767474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBoCnP6rneJl4FpMuY1575pxMCBSN-YpuB9uw9TIcHMEzLbZdoPCjxwUX8AIMHQUaSMAYvucNHSQw_LaoQsVAet42asuhHQYgFTM52Kr66dVinOUzBtEF_nbCfodUIzc323BY-9ZpbO4/s1600/Luke's+1st+Haircut+009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBoCnP6rneJl4FpMuY1575pxMCBSN-YpuB9uw9TIcHMEzLbZdoPCjxwUX8AIMHQUaSMAYvucNHSQw_LaoQsVAet42asuhHQYgFTM52Kr66dVinOUzBtEF_nbCfodUIzc323BY-9ZpbO4/s400/Luke's+1st+Haircut+009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455361202448850274" /></a>He was really good while Matt was doing it. I'm a little sad because I think it makes him look older, but he looks cute enough to make up for it!Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-24709572053690361052010-03-29T22:58:00.008-06:002010-03-29T23:43:30.327-06:00We Have A Birthday GirlWe have a three-year-old now! I can't believe Winnie is three, even though she usually talks like she's 15. I don't ever want her to grow up, but I also enjoy her more and more all the time.<div><br /></div><div>We had a fantastic day. It included a trip to our favorite park, pizza, dinosaurs, doll houses, new books and new dresses.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W7sqb7OssAbf2WUPFOootFEy-LyvOr_q6GJLFh9lO2cm_8xjGB1dwMl7bgMcC6SHW2cTVBMxYa2kIlec8GSUSbeQYFR4v7iXVv_Fkn-SDwNcuXlTx0PXOchv3rY9wdTJZ8K79RLTXpQ/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W7sqb7OssAbf2WUPFOootFEy-LyvOr_q6GJLFh9lO2cm_8xjGB1dwMl7bgMcC6SHW2cTVBMxYa2kIlec8GSUSbeQYFR4v7iXVv_Fkn-SDwNcuXlTx0PXOchv3rY9wdTJZ8K79RLTXpQ/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454288739321413714" /></a>The cake (you're looking at 10 eggs and 1 1/2 pounds of butter right there).</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh-vTomcJm1ENNiLXJq3X_x5QANroTttF1UKQlzBQpsaNJLjijuMksdkbaK8DhGV6H9G0mTRt453QhPJC8vFMmnTYknXqy1hSIjiXsHFApH3ARlQIXw91EbCu7HENRgKfH98uPyGUKeY/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh-vTomcJm1ENNiLXJq3X_x5QANroTttF1UKQlzBQpsaNJLjijuMksdkbaK8DhGV6H9G0mTRt453QhPJC8vFMmnTYknXqy1hSIjiXsHFApH3ARlQIXw91EbCu7HENRgKfH98uPyGUKeY/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+031.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454288776452390050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5XwbxLycDenK3qwgAVtZ5SC8ReHl4ZPoi_pQrbjFvArGVOVpl1YkSRNZbV2rVFdoi3q1NZo2kiWlWzmdPRhjXvzE95aBw03Mx7DBK5nNCHnH-UMZqogXtuGYLQIhU7taermXPFQB5FI/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5XwbxLycDenK3qwgAVtZ5SC8ReHl4ZPoi_pQrbjFvArGVOVpl1YkSRNZbV2rVFdoi3q1NZo2kiWlWzmdPRhjXvzE95aBw03Mx7DBK5nNCHnH-UMZqogXtuGYLQIhU7taermXPFQB5FI/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454290118782087170" /></a>The candles</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qTDyn378qr_IOFQePsEIEoonxFuX5Xddv_T6m1-wLskzMTfpl46pLDv8ntkMN8AvQYWlE-WchiTnmPwhBV-RdxdpagMLyZlItzXOea6af7TRIzx3sMUklMIgyezJQCE-94eyeWcndUU/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qTDyn378qr_IOFQePsEIEoonxFuX5Xddv_T6m1-wLskzMTfpl46pLDv8ntkMN8AvQYWlE-WchiTnmPwhBV-RdxdpagMLyZlItzXOea6af7TRIzx3sMUklMIgyezJQCE-94eyeWcndUU/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454288749720622914" /></a><br /></div><div>The presents. (Someone should brush that poor girls' hair--or at least wash her face. What was her mother thinking?)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilimqbDhNdRPeLPBhS8w6Hx3O9SrZKQI5n-ZJhxYS2NJxaITuyQC-rq_KOKk94NN_1_BcRS3TjYkzgKdsPNvGVYlTUn8uybY7ep6R14d5oLfQKhSaPyFyV8WrDBIzrCevY7VQ6QODUI-A/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilimqbDhNdRPeLPBhS8w6Hx3O9SrZKQI5n-ZJhxYS2NJxaITuyQC-rq_KOKk94NN_1_BcRS3TjYkzgKdsPNvGVYlTUn8uybY7ep6R14d5oLfQKhSaPyFyV8WrDBIzrCevY7VQ6QODUI-A/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454288758747896914" /></a>The dolls on the cake go to this doll house.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb42we6A4OKPtImtc1zh7l-ORi_8OWiGZyz4SkhXWkLdSkqYlR05bFPoRjfUEvesstf_wElYoq7zz_-KbhRv_3AJIkCWP9lbRtal05zbCAjsT5nKDujolmh7rPxHk_K6NxZljEX3X39Aw/s1600/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb42we6A4OKPtImtc1zh7l-ORi_8OWiGZyz4SkhXWkLdSkqYlR05bFPoRjfUEvesstf_wElYoq7zz_-KbhRv_3AJIkCWP9lbRtal05zbCAjsT5nKDujolmh7rPxHk_K6NxZljEX3X39Aw/s400/Winnie's+3rd+Birthday+024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454288770005580258" /></a>A set of sporty red wheels.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Winnie got a bucket of dinosaurs from her cousins. I think they were her favorite toy of the evening. Even still, she told everyone they could chose one to take home. Only Luke took her up on the offer, though.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Winnie went to bed tonight she was singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.</div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-49491243970823464122010-03-16T21:13:00.005-06:002010-03-16T21:31:04.332-06:00And my baby is<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DFztveSxqi33pWrIXR7Iu5WFmvn-WsLB47OyhxPM3w68bhtSvZQuNvH4Wx-aQxq3CzZInaTRyHmpe8dM_WvnX_qL0i5Q1sQUVZ2myfX1U0GDSU52TRtMKQTw00IqWPMl8UFes83bdRY/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DFztveSxqi33pWrIXR7Iu5WFmvn-WsLB47OyhxPM3w68bhtSvZQuNvH4Wx-aQxq3CzZInaTRyHmpe8dM_WvnX_qL0i5Q1sQUVZ2myfX1U0GDSU52TRtMKQTw00IqWPMl8UFes83bdRY/s400/Luke's+Birthday+006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436267718842706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd7infxSXyYGKPmumgjki9hvS8hK1fqrA_fOQRhgeaIa0tSyZ2ey7HO3BosnmQi-7rHEISynYfYAQPxY8LNrbY8lP3xpnck6yOkYQ-JM0ZqsVuqyrFse3_QANhrl8Pei5A7W5I10pV6Q/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipd7infxSXyYGKPmumgjki9hvS8hK1fqrA_fOQRhgeaIa0tSyZ2ey7HO3BosnmQi-7rHEISynYfYAQPxY8LNrbY8lP3xpnck6yOkYQ-JM0ZqsVuqyrFse3_QANhrl8Pei5A7W5I10pV6Q/s400/Luke's+Birthday+008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436273463834898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qSNzlr-sDJMrGD5mnHZA0kgGuEFJ7BU8MNszHLieNpO6O93SEpG181d-Lvqe8A1FypOH3rqiTF_Sr08K2mGLhtXznUDS_jYKPyk4T3dcuF3OBmLCaOz0TaSOF_g22TH0z78zMDKbZUs/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qSNzlr-sDJMrGD5mnHZA0kgGuEFJ7BU8MNszHLieNpO6O93SEpG181d-Lvqe8A1FypOH3rqiTF_Sr08K2mGLhtXznUDS_jYKPyk4T3dcuF3OBmLCaOz0TaSOF_g22TH0z78zMDKbZUs/s400/Luke's+Birthday+009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436282602810898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CY-yCVymanF5UHwAfm8uHzQn8186reylxmirhQr7QPbuggXwicGGfry14lJcJyD1Rh_g_QJH7IxBJUMHvJgdUCTbr1YaoO0Q9wQRPFIYaK2sCmH4DU9ODs9Wke6Yo3-AMlQNIv97pTQ/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CY-yCVymanF5UHwAfm8uHzQn8186reylxmirhQr7QPbuggXwicGGfry14lJcJyD1Rh_g_QJH7IxBJUMHvJgdUCTbr1YaoO0Q9wQRPFIYaK2sCmH4DU9ODs9Wke6Yo3-AMlQNIv97pTQ/s400/Luke's+Birthday+017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436293919398626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uCsouN6ym1TNpiXtgvFmILGOXUf7lsqwDAv9L9bCVzT9jvHVPdAHYSMKQSdYIZtk7Jmp_Xi8hgJfFed2hAmNsZYh04kAq52HHEwUEZwa-6Ybcw9sLvbWo6opkkrYkbcv3cR3_RF4y_k/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uCsouN6ym1TNpiXtgvFmILGOXUf7lsqwDAv9L9bCVzT9jvHVPdAHYSMKQSdYIZtk7Jmp_Xi8hgJfFed2hAmNsZYh04kAq52HHEwUEZwa-6Ybcw9sLvbWo6opkkrYkbcv3cR3_RF4y_k/s400/Luke's+Birthday+020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436677036571250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeK1UdGGab7DoYca68esugodz3CWGmuMAs7es-vx_beHY_sHJcv-j338zWY1718qCQ5Lfl-TQREEYNRVC7OadYJro2s2M_mOBo9YqbIcn8Pxm-F5Cs6ZWaaa56A3lK068weiFKealyTuw/s1600-h/Luke's+Birthday+026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeK1UdGGab7DoYca68esugodz3CWGmuMAs7es-vx_beHY_sHJcv-j338zWY1718qCQ5Lfl-TQREEYNRVC7OadYJro2s2M_mOBo9YqbIcn8Pxm-F5Cs6ZWaaa56A3lK068weiFKealyTuw/s400/Luke's+Birthday+026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449436689385304594" /></a><br /><div>On Luke's first birthday he. . .</div><div><br /></div><div>weighs 23 pounds.</div><div>isn't very interested in learning to walk.</div><div>says about 10 words.</div><div>is almost all smiles--even when he's sick.</div><div>loves blankets.</div><div>is very patient with his sister, who often isn't very patient with him.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-69058748792738244882010-03-07T13:34:00.004-07:002010-03-07T13:51:07.612-07:00Meal PlanningOne of the goals I made in 2009 was to start making weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Having a meal plan for the whole week has definitely cut down our trips to the grocery store, wasted groceries, fast food lunches at work/school, and dinner-time dilemmas about what to eat. Coming up with a meal plan is still a struggle sometimes, though. I've gotten a lot of ideas from other blogs I read, so I've decided to post my meal plans on my sidebar. I get a lot of recipes online and will post a link when available. We try a lot of new recipes, so I can't vouch for every dish, but most of the new recipes come recommended by someone.Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-23827808838551761802010-03-02T21:06:00.006-07:002010-03-02T21:23:17.328-07:00Rambling recent developments<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOGdgc0QTwcXynuqAjswlBsIEW6j9sJknAoPoGVNolCuA-IY88d77f3-M4fJcRk0CWVeojeFMAWbqJxxmRwr8Bi8qCLNl124xPZqcdMxk0971vwEd6KqZBTLrCRl2MX9WN7Fr6_xLeqg/s1600-h/008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOGdgc0QTwcXynuqAjswlBsIEW6j9sJknAoPoGVNolCuA-IY88d77f3-M4fJcRk0CWVeojeFMAWbqJxxmRwr8Bi8qCLNl124xPZqcdMxk0971vwEd6KqZBTLrCRl2MX9WN7Fr6_xLeqg/s400/008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444256424342318754" /></a><br />A few weeks shy of 1 year old and Luke has finally decided he can sit. To clarify, he's been able to sit for months and months--he's just had no desire. If you tried to sit him down on the floor he'd immediately arch his back and refuse to bend. A couple of months ago he started kneeling on the floor when he was playing and now he's started to sit and kneel about equal amounts. I can't believe he's almost 1!<div><br /></div><div>Winnie got a very cute haircut Saturday and I thought I had good pictures of it until I looked at them on the computer. On the computer I could see that Winnie had a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">goopy</span> nose and some left-over soup on her mouth. We'll try again tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div>Matt took the bar last week and we're now all enjoying a life of luxury with no studying in sight. No job in sight, either, but let's try to stay positive, shall we? <br /><div><br /></div><div>On a slightly related note <a href="http://morrisefamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/painting.html">261 E 100 N</a> went under contract on January 29<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>, right after I had settled on a fabulous "black bean" paint scheme. It had been on the market somewhere around 8 months! Couldn't it have waited a couple more months??? Who buys a house with broken windows in the middle of winter, anyway? I've been obsessively checking the county recorder's documents to see if anything has recorded showing that the sale has gone through. Nothing yet, so I still have a slight hope that the sale will fall through and we can snatch it up! I haven't been able to bring myself to drive by for fear I'll see vinyl replacement windows going in. Oh the horror.</div></div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-29851024375479831132010-02-20T22:36:00.002-07:002010-02-20T22:39:40.595-07:00Saturdays<p class="MsoNormal">Today I did 9 loads of laundry (3 loads of bedding, 1 load of towels, 2 loads of light clothes, 2 loads of dark clothes and 1 load of underwear), loaded and emptied the dishwasher multiple times, cleaned the kitchen, changed the sheets on all of the beds, made lunch and two dinners, fixed the kid’s blinds, made and played with salt dough, made menus for the next week (hooray for none of our menu items requiring a trip to the grocery store!), administered 3 time-outs, vacuumed the downstairs, changed 6 diapers (3 poopy), read 5 stories, gave 2 baths.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today I did not get my kids dressed, iron, clean the bathrooms, finish the touch-up painting in the bathroom, vacuum upstairs or the stairs, mop the kitchen floor, wash my white slipcovers (never fall for the lines in magazines where mothers claim that white slipcovers are easy), wash the windows (they get a lot of condensation on them and the kids like to “draw” in it), exercise, or start reading any of my library books due this coming Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And yes, I really thought I could accomplish this as well as what I actually got done.</p>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-39898352125705795532010-02-19T14:08:00.003-07:002010-02-19T14:18:02.465-07:00The mischief a two year old can do. . .<div>during the time it takes to change one poopy diaper.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Rf32774HaNKXfLidOT6ZU92pfKIaEslA9DQhYiuSQ8V-_Ih5F4HBUf3_YEcYvoqUVVivFXeDOUU7F077PdirygXnNxygFFndtR3uDUG39F3A2uvXZkoWwEdUUJCKme1rUDLaeb-ldfw/s1600-h/008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Rf32774HaNKXfLidOT6ZU92pfKIaEslA9DQhYiuSQ8V-_Ih5F4HBUf3_YEcYvoqUVVivFXeDOUU7F077PdirygXnNxygFFndtR3uDUG39F3A2uvXZkoWwEdUUJCKme1rUDLaeb-ldfw/s400/008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440064970725277122" /></a><br /><div>She cut all of this hair from the right side of her head (see how it looks a little sparse over her ear? She basically left a thin layer from the top of her head, but cut all the hair underneath). Ironically, her hair took forever to fill in on the sides and it was just recently starting to really grow there. This afternoon, before this happened, I'd scheduled Winnie's first professional haircut. We were going to just trim the back up to match the length of the sides. Now that the right side of Win's hair is only 1" long, I think that plan is out.</div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-10579883071053403662010-02-01T20:17:00.004-07:002010-02-01T20:36:57.239-07:00Family Projects<div>I bought Winnie a pair of slippers. She doesn't love them, but guess who does.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8c6tXjwxyvfNyONz1Aj6xU3VyrPKYmrh2kdoMEudbc4oqGsT8hqdpQL2c6cYEcg5518DwsWgP2IXaQnhxVhHqdYt_pf1ddsZsgmBKNUJbd4H4CrAjFbTTDK0RDlWpn8mO6xzP60kzAQ/s1600-h/January+2010+006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8c6tXjwxyvfNyONz1Aj6xU3VyrPKYmrh2kdoMEudbc4oqGsT8hqdpQL2c6cYEcg5518DwsWgP2IXaQnhxVhHqdYt_pf1ddsZsgmBKNUJbd4H4CrAjFbTTDK0RDlWpn8mO6xzP60kzAQ/s400/January+2010+006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433480251999731666" /></a><br /><div>All of my seed catalogues started to arrive last month and I got a real case of Spring Fever. Winnie loves anything that involves scissors and glue, so we planted a garden. Winnie named it the "E" garden--and no, I don't know what that's supposed to mean, either. I'm not sure this garden is doing anything to make me more satisfied with my 120 square foot yard, or the contents of my refrigerator where it currently resides.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c7M8v0iAdka_sCGBhVAa32nsC3Uu6bJLJ59IFqaLO2vPYPTNahhyMTZiVEGAOnvczmxwR6mKt_FIAp5NgKNzMsIWphgSkahszxRWjOzzpouucGwPhJgOnd6UJlb4Rn6E4lU9SUC_46g/s1600-h/January+2010+011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c7M8v0iAdka_sCGBhVAa32nsC3Uu6bJLJ59IFqaLO2vPYPTNahhyMTZiVEGAOnvczmxwR6mKt_FIAp5NgKNzMsIWphgSkahszxRWjOzzpouucGwPhJgOnd6UJlb4Rn6E4lU9SUC_46g/s400/January+2010+011.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433480283156907474" /></a><br /></div><div>We got a second set of Duplos for Christmas and Winnie has started to want to build things other than plain stacks of Legos. Matt is always assigned to build the animals that Winnie sees on the sides of the bucket. I was busy trying to get everyone looking at the camera in this shot, and didn't notice that you can't really tell what they built, but it's a dragon.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTJZshJXLzLe2Y0sgnQiJP5O-Gfo1ZQHog92RoVViU2o5KUGNPSmEQQpykqKyzT3wFdLML7CjynLH9xKjttYzbUG7l1G-21m07QmPwsTXPqrShdujbwKZZlLnTS3_bLGdRNszPaEBkHA/s1600-h/January+2010+009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTJZshJXLzLe2Y0sgnQiJP5O-Gfo1ZQHog92RoVViU2o5KUGNPSmEQQpykqKyzT3wFdLML7CjynLH9xKjttYzbUG7l1G-21m07QmPwsTXPqrShdujbwKZZlLnTS3_bLGdRNszPaEBkHA/s400/January+2010+009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433480264757038706" /></a></div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-55309422660315343112010-01-28T23:11:00.002-07:002010-01-28T23:17:34.062-07:00Walking<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPCgxKpNmFo67I4kKZlE0q3k9r6xMq3uzZXESoexDVqJtyNqCLIqqsp_x85MTjk8ilnvilinb4hKWBgH0pmA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4070656520722349431.post-55937801397218946622010-01-28T22:54:00.006-07:002010-01-28T23:20:52.007-07:00Painting<div style="text-align: left;">I still want <a href="http://www.utahrealestate.com/910162">this house</a> and I've been spending way more time than I should thinking about it. Lately I've been thinking about exterior paint colors. I used the Sherwin Williams "Visualizer" to show Matt what the house would look like painted a couple of the colors in my head.</div><div><br /></div><div>Current (except the columns have been painted white now):</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJu8jrPa9HLIBU7yik5VvQUxfGQdaqd9HaFj9J0bkKJTEs6mrexKrThe-_jGfdXhrfacZZvQh0iiYC8kF3xBot50PoEYYzg9bQDDerhOi8ZMqR_r7i1ttoQS6tdg_tyIijhJ-QKOMpk8/s400/261+E+100+N.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432037673815222066" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Prairie Red:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVS_298Byyq02evG2XBLUHV6UitVlQY5eUyycsuevtFcxLWkPp-Dfk-H2vZ167tclR81uoRmMYfB8EaLLMHH9YkqiBTMnWwtHzgPCfQCtHgBD5P-DkD-jt0-LZGs-wgVlm5AqYB_edtI/s400/Prairie+Red.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432037680835482274" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Black Bean:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdoZOax37UCNhq7SA4ndWg9rHXRh17Np-Tm3RrPZwwQFzjEvUy7WJo_On7kTBv5esODZ4lAkMIur9-og-d2lqqLj3U70x_naSbkgOyqJjidPVuK0LdSobaDDwkUeVYuREX0bTryLJC74/s400/Black+Bean.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432037685815202546" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love the Black Bean palette, but I think it needs a Prairie Red door. What do you think?</div>Morrise Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07118339847117014369noreply@blogger.com3