My Winter Shearing: A Haircut

Here's a fascinating (or appalling--depends on your sensibility) behind-the-scenes look at a recurring conversation in the Harris household over the past 6 weeks.

Dena:  Do you think I should get my hair cut?

Blair:   Sure, do whatever you like.

Dena:  So you hate my hair?

Blair:  No! I love your hair.

Dena:  Then why do you want me to cut it?

Blair:  I didn't say I wanted you to get it cut.

Dena: Then you think I should leave it the length it is?

Blair:  Okay.

Dena:  That wasn't a yes.  You do hate my hair.

Blair:  No!  I just want you to be happy.

Dena:  But do you like it better long or short?

Blair:  I like it both ways.

Dena:  But which one do you like better?

Blair:  I think you're beautiful no matter what you do.

Dena:  Coward.

Blair:  I'm no fool.

This ridiculous conversation took place more times than I care to mention.  Today I bit the bullet and went in and had the back chopped off, leaving the front still somewhat long.  I LOVE it.  I am just a short-hair chick.  The best part is I'm back to only taking about 6 minutes to style it, blow-drying included. 

So now that issue is resolved, we'll need to find a new topic of conversation.  Hey, I've got one!  How's this for an opener?

Dena:  So.  Do you think I'm fat?

Cheers!

Decorating Diaries - Bathroom Update

Some of you have been so kind as to ask how the redecorating of the master bath is going so I thought I'd post a quick update.

The bathroom is...gone.  All gone.  Bye-bye.  It's been gutted.  No sink, shower, cabinet, or toilet remains.  All that is there is a plywood floor with paper stuffed down the connecting tube where the toilet used to sit.  I know this, because my clothes closet is through the master bath, so I have to pull on flip-flops (loose nails/staples) every time I cross the floor or decide I want to put on a different pair of jeans.

We have made no headway on the heated floor.  Here's where we stand:

Our floor person couldn't get in the tile we wanted and said he wouldn't do the tile if he didn't order it.  So he's out.  Next we tried the cabinet people we are ordering the tile from. They WILL do the tile, but don't do heated floors and prefer not to do tile showers.  I have in a call to a heated floor guy she recommended, but they aren't calling me back.

My contractor has a tile guy he prefers to use, but the tile guy also doesn't do heated floors.  He does, however, do showers.  So should be do all the tile?  You'd think so, except I already told the cabinet people that sure, they could do the tile floor.  So now, it's apparently a breach of etiquette to ask the actual tile man to come in and just do the shower tile when we haven't asked him to do the floor tile.

About this time I usually start holding my head and screaming. This just seems way, way more complicated than it needs to be.  I'm about one phone call away from telling Blair I'm out, and handing all the phone numbers over to him.

On the bright side, we got most of the wallpaper removed Sunday afternoon.  Glue remnants still cling to the drywall, so we'll have to go back and give it one last soaking/scraping, but we're close. 

In other news, we ordered sheets from Overstock.com and are very happy with them.  400 TC, so not silky, but still very soft and comfy. We also ordered lamps online (with the help of our decorator.  We're not that brave on our own) and are happy with those as well.  Slowly, slowly, it's coming together.

And that's where we stand.  Tune in next week (actually, Friday) for more decorating adventures.  We're having a lamppost installed Friday.  There's sure to be blog-worthy material there.

Cheers,

Dena

Our Halloween Costumes for 2005

For those of you new to the inner workings of the Harris household, let me offer you this insight: We hold Halloween sacred.  It's hands down our favorite holiday and we get way into all the carved jack-o-lantern (always scary, never nice), glow-in-the-dark skeletons, and fake spiderwebs there are too be found. I feel about day-after-Halloween shopping as most others feel about day-after-Thanksgiving shopping.  Great deals on dismembered hands and plastic baby spiders make me swoon with delight.

The great thing is that we live on a block were everyone is into Halloween.  Our next door neighbor has a karoke machine and plays clashing chains and spooky music so it can be heard up and down the street.  And every so often he grabs the mike and moans, "Fee Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of little childrun!" (Halloween on our street is not for the faint of heart).

We've had some great costumes in years past.  Last year, we did an ode to Peanuts and the Great Pumpkin. We made a pumpkin patch and Blair drew an incredible to-size rendition of Snoopy as the WWII Flying Ace.  Blair dressed up as Linus (including the blanket) and informed all the trick-or-treaters that the Great Pumpkin was sure to arrive any minute.

The year before that, we had a Pirates of the Caribbean theme.  Blair hauled in 100 lbs of sand and we created our own beach with cardboard palm trees, and we had a huge treasure chest we FILLED with candy.  Seeing the look on kids faces when we opened up that chest and they saw all that candy...that was so much fun!

We've done witches and warlocks and filled a black cauldron with candy and set dry ice off beneath it, so it looked like it was brewing.  "Pumpkin' Head Man," a creation of Blairs a few years back, was very popular as well.

So suffice to say, choosing a Halloween theme is a big deal.  We spent most of lunch discussing it on Saturday and finally settled for the classic Frankenstein / mad scientist / graveyard setup.

At 6'1", Blair has a good start on the height thing so he'll be Frankenstein.  In a stunning departure from reality, I'll be the mad scientist.  We'll create a graveyard out of cardboard (cardboard is our friend) and maybe bring in some dry ice to have wafting around my laboratory table.  We bought a glowing skull at Target and have some beakers we can set out and we'll figure out a way to make stuff bubble in them.  All we have to do is hunt down a white smock for my lab coat.  My job is to warn kids the monster will not give them candy unless they say the magic words: "Trick or Treat!"

We'll spend next weekend decorating the house.  I've got 3 bins full of goodies, although I think a lot is at the point of needing replaced. They just don't make werewolf cut outs like they used to.

Keeping House

I owe an apology to all the parents, single mom's and busy people of the world.  But first, an admission.

I'm a clean house snob.  There, I've said it.  I don't expect perfection and I'm willing, especially for people with kids, to overlook fingerprints on the coffee table and toys scattered around a room.  My own home is not spotless (and with 2 cats shedding non-stop, it never will be).   But I admit I never really "got" people who kept a messy home.  My thought is, if you want a clean home, pick up the Pledge and Windex and get busy.  Once it's clean it's not that big a deal to maintain it.  Toss in 2 hours a week and you'll be fine.

And it's not that I mind being in other people's messy homes.  As long as there's a clean mug for coffee and a spot cleared for me to sit, I'm good to go.  But it amazed me how people could live surrounded by the clutter.  I almost can't think straight if my house isn't clean.

Which is where my apology comes in.  Blair and I have been swamped for the last 3 weeks now.  We see each other for about 40-60 minutes each night and maybe 20 minutes in the morning.  He's working non-stop and I'm on the go as well.  And the house is suffering for it.  We haven't given it a good cleaning in over 2 weeks now.  My excuse?  I can't find the time. 

I have become what I formally mocked (isn't that always the way?).  My stovetop, at the moment, is an embarrassment.  The cat was digging in the plant the other day and dirt is scattered across the floor and I've yet to get around to sweeping it up (Just as well.  The minute I clean it she starts flinging dirt again.  She thinks it's a game and she's excited that she's winning).  There are spiderwebs all over the outside of our home and I pass by them and justify not wiping them off with the thought, "It's good ambiance for Halloween."  I need help, people.  Do you hear me?  HELP.

And that thing about not having the time?  Just an excuse.  I watched TV for 45 minutes last night.  I could have been cleaning then.  But I was tired and the last thing I felt like doing was running a feather duster along the baseboards.

So my house is (deep breath Dena, you can do this)---dirty. I think I'm near my breaking point though.  Tomorrow is Blair and my 11-year anniversary.   He's taking the day off work (it IS a Saturday) and we'll spend the day together.  But to start the day off right, and truly enjoy our time together, I know what I have to do.

I'll be up at 6am, Pledge and Windex in hand, getting busy.