Hello Blog! So much to catch up on!

Let's see...

Last week we drove to Delaware. First, let me give you background.

Sister in law (SIL) is helping Mother in Law (MIL) and Stepfather in Law (SFIL) to buy a house a mere two houses away from hers. (she's freaking certifiable if you ask me, but hey...who asks me?) First off, she absolutely cannot stand SFIL. To the point the man is not allowed to step foot in her house...so...she's helping them live 2 doors down??? Okay, you get the picture.

Anyway, the house was supposed to close on the 26th. Well, there was a lot of cleanup and such that needed to happen in this house, it had been repossessed and was in serious shape. So, Bruno was going to spend 3-4 days helping rip up carpets, paint, etc., and I was going on to my friend's Steph's in PA, only 2 hours away.

So, we drive to Delaware with the kids. Trip is actually very long, but good. Kids do fairly well, only had to stop to let the boys pee on the side of the road once on the way down. We get to SIL's in Delaware, ~11:30 or so, spend the night. Get up and kind of laze the morning away, SIL is at the closing, we go look over the house 2 doors down (realtor left it open and SIL is having trees cut down....sooooo not cool since she doesn't have the keys yet, but hey...who are we, the escrow police?)

So, closing does not go well, some kind of discrepancy over $2200, should be handled the next day, I leave with the kids for my friend's house in PA.

Spend a wonderful 2 days in PA. Pool, sun, fun, good food, good friends, kids have play-mates (Steph has b/g twins just a bit older than Cory & Darby), I have my sweetest friend making me loads and loads of strawberry daquiries (or were they margaritas? who knows?), and then...dandandaaaaaa the phone rings. It's Bruno, it's Saturday afternoon, and he's begging me to come pick him up.

I stutter....um...haven't fed the kids yet! Yeah, that's the ticket, the kids need to eat! I can't just drop everything and drive 4 hours round trip, the kids need to eat! Woohoo, I'm saved, right? Nope...he's desperate. SIL is on the warpath, the closing never happened the next day either, the realtor came by and threatened to call the police and charge them with trespassing, they can't work on the house and then to top it off, her A/C goes out! So, she's furious and hot! He needs to get out of there.

And I look at the 3rd pitcher (I think?) of margaritas we've been drinking (or are they daquiries?) and I know I can't drive....and Steph's sweet husband looks up and says..."I'll go get him!"

Woohoo!

So, he comes, we drive back on Sunday, we get home ~7. ~10pm we notice it's wet by the dog's crate...great, she peed on the floor. Damn! We sop it up with towels, go to bed. The next morning I come home from J-cise and Bruno looks at me and says "we have a problem". The floor is absolutely soaked.

Turns out the stand up room portable A/C unit (does NOT hang in the window) has been dumping water onto the floor through it's (obviously) defective de-humidifier.

Yes, we had to rip up the carpet. Yes, the really beautiful (why was it ever covered???) wood floor under the carpet is TOTALLY RUINED! Called insurance, homeowners, and they calculate our claim--without ever coming out here to look at it--and send us a check (for like $600). I have a guy come out to give us an estimate on removing the rest of the carpet, fixing the cupped wood flooring, etc., and he says "this job is way too big for me, I'll call a buddy of mine that does this size of work and have him come out". Hey, Allstate, I don't think $600 is going to cover this....

So, Bruno decides it's time to do a complete makeover to the family room. Hello 46" LCD flat screen. It's home is over the fireplace. Looks great there. Add to it the new sound system and the mystery couch I have yet to order and then the mystery floors we have yet to get an estimate on and voila! You have our new living room.

Seriously...we're going to the wood floor, but it's going to need some serious work. The boards where the A/C leaked are beyond sanding & refinishing and need to be pulled up and replaced.

So...fast forward....

Jazzercise'd the parade this 4th of July, the boys rode in the back of a convertable collector's Camaro, waving flags. Danced my butt off in the heat, was loads of fun, can't wait for next year's parade to do it again.

Took the boys to pick strawberries today, making pies tonight. I am not Martha Stewart. (I have to keep telling myself that)

Here's the boys today...