Six Loaves, No Fishes

So it's not exactly the story of the multiplying of the fish and loaves.... it's more a story of the man who ate ALL the loaves and would've probably eaten the fish, except he doesn't like most fish, due to the fishy taste. My husband, when hungry, has an insatiable appetite at times... something that can only be solved by carb-overload. We can go to a restaurant, him saying "I'm not really all that hungry..." only to place his order and then frantically scan the door to the kitchen for our waitress to arrive with our food. At this time, my husband then uses both hands to actually shovel food into his mouth at speeds that are undetectable to the human eye, and one may miss his meal entirely if they yawn, sneeze, or even blink too long.
All this to be said is that we are experiencing a large bread shortage in the Costa home these days. Perhaps it is the long days of slaving away on Project Master Bath, or maybe it's just his comfort food after days of not getting enough alone time or "wifey time".... but these loaves, they ain't a-multiplyin'.... oh no, these loaves are a-disappearin' like.... well, like loaves to a hungry, hairy, Italian. Time to break out the bread maker and keep my man happy :)

Organization

After numerous obstacles with Project Master Bath, my parents decided to stay a little longer in order to accomodate the project delays. In the meantime, my mom graciously decided to help with organizing my kitchen while I was at work.... something that I've been dying to accomplish but haven't had the time since getting back from the honeymoon (what with the new job coming up, bathroom problems, everything covered in drywall dust, and trying to find "alone time" with my new hubby amidst the insanities).
Whereas I am anxious over NOTHING being in order in my new home, my poor man is struggling with one thing. Not the hallway floor now looking down into the living room below, not the showering with the spiders in the basement, but the fact that the kitchen cupboards are now switched around. How can someone deal with all the other chaos just fine and yet have such difficulty with kitchen supplies?
However, in his attempt to be sweet (and cheap) he bought me two office organizers off the clearance rack at Busy Beaver (yes, that is really the name of the store). Nevermind the fact that I already have desk organizers, I may just keep them in a closet and pull them out years down the road as a reminder that, for at least one day of his life, he made an attempt to organize.

Let the Games Begin (and end quicky)

With my family in town, part of our relaxation after a long day enjoys ice cream, playing games, and watching movies. So after Day 2 of Project Full Bath, we sat down with ice cream (I DID get my husband's favorite kind as to ease the blow of game play) and a nice board game. How were we to know that the game was going go on and on due to no one answering questions correcly?
So my poor man (refusing to go to bed, even after given permission) hung in there, choosing the oddest answers possible, and sabatoging my game play at any chance he got. Passive aggression at its finest, but I have to give the non-game-liking man credit for hanging in there for the full hour. Maybe tomorrow night I can rope him into a chick flick.....

Home Depot, AKA Take-My-Wallet-Store

In order to do our bathroom project, we needed to make a Home Depot run. Now, let it be said that I am not against Home Depot, and the 10% off for opening a charge card with them was wonderfully helpful, as were the multiple staff that aided us during our 3 hour trip. Now that is out of the way, how in the WORLD can they justify selling things for those prices?!? I just want a pretty, functional bathroom without having to sell off a few acres of our land to pay for it.
Well, my boy did well for the first 2 hours.... but after the last hour, we were all getting crabby, hungry, and tired. So naturally, he was getting feisty:) But, for the sake of his mother and my parents, he managed to keep from yelling at me as I dragged him from department to department, adding more and more items to our cart (correction: carts). And he even managed to tear apart our old bathroom with a level of decency that makes my heart proud. Good boy, Bubba, good boy. :)

Remodeling

Today my parents came into town. They're helping us install our bathroom... which should be interesting, because my husband lacks patience at times when it comes to household projects. However, my dad is the most patient person on the face of the planet. So when these two dichotomies collide, I want a front-row seat:) As one is throwing hammers, the other will be bent in prayer. My husband will be grunting and yelling at the first sign of a glitch, while my dad rubs his chin and gives a thoughtful sigh.
Perhaps I'm being too critical and jumping to conclusions too quickly. I will gladly eat my words if my husband manages to make it through this week without taking a fit... and I will recant this message immediately and re-write a proudly stated review of his ability to remain calm in the face of remodeling (and the funny part will be when I'M the one losing my mind over the entire event)! To Be Continued...

We Share Everything....

Well, I suppose there was no sense in just one of us getting sick and then passing it back and forth for weeks... we just shared the bug right away and, hopefully, got it completely out of our systems. Although I think sharing pillows during this time of ill-health is not entirely wise, I couldn't bring myself to yank my pillow back when I checked on him during his naptime... him, with his pillow between the knees and my pillow under his face, looking so peaceful as he moaned constantly due to the agony of the flu... I suppose sharing a pillow is a small sacrifice once you've already shared the flu-infested bed, bathroom, and kitchen. But let the record show that since we are both feeling significantly better, I WILL be reclaiming my territory as sole-pillow-possessor tonight!

Home Improvement

Earlier today, my husband told our neighbor that the first 2 weeks of marriage have been great, except there seems to be an awful lot of chores. Our neighbor told him to give it 20 more years and then he'll REALLY know what chores are. So, needless to say, that's all we've done this week is set up house, fix broken items, sort through old memories, and update things that have grown old with the house.
I must admit, my man has done his part with nary a sigh nor a complaint, which is amazing considering his "stomach problems" today... although I'm sure he'd love to know that I just posted that we "need a new toilet because he may have hurt it's feelings today". All in all, we have done well working together and not biting each other's heads off when things haven't gone as planned. I can wash dishes in the bathroom sink with the best of them, and he can install outside lights without chucking the screw driver into the side of the house when the screw refuses to tighten. We may not be the sitcom, but our Home Improvement is going rather well:)

Sleeping Arrangements

I'm sure that every couple that owns pets (and views them as loving children) can understand the dilemma of where the dogs sleep now that husband and wife share a bed.... some of us have been more accomodating than others of us (ahem) in letting the dogs join our bed. BUT let the record show that I am officially coming around to the idea of keeping the dogs on the floor.
Reason 1: There's the occasional dog hair (equaling an entirely new dog) that tend to float around in the sheets.
Reason 2: The dogs naturally want to cuddle up to the sweeter, nicer, more loving of the spouses (me), leaving me with 3 dogs on top of ME and HIM sleeping soundly without a care in the world.
Reason 3: This is the biggest reason of all. Last night, previously mentioned spouse put the dogs outside for their pre-bedtime "potty". Said spouse also neglected to wipe said puppy dogs' feet before they sauntered up the stairs for bed. Mr. Milo had apparently stepped in (or still had attached to him) a decent amount of DOG CRAP and then walked across MY side of the bed... ON OUR NEW EGYTIAN COTTON SHEETS!!! Husband, finding this funny, accused me of pooping the bed to get out of being in trouble for not wiping down the dogs properly.
So what does little ole' wifey do? I frantically began scrubbing the sheets (with a terribly painful tetanus shot arm... in case anyone has forgotten) while my sweet hubby sat reading his book. After sensing my frustration (or simply responding to me yelling at him), he says so innocently, "Why didn't you ask me to help?".... Really? As my half-dead arm hung limply by my side, I really needed to ask?
In all, it is safe to say that the dogs (and possibly the husband if such nonsense keeps up) will be sleeping on the floor.

Pain in the Neck....

and the finger, and the arm, and the shoulder, and the uterus! Ugh! Coral reef is, apparently, my kryptonite (although if I'm being honest, just about everything is). Because this horrible coral refuses to leave my finger, I was put on a medication that causes headache and nausea (and they're not kidding). I was also made to get a tetanus shot... no big deal, I had one when I was in high school and it was really not that bad. EXCEPT that the doctors don't tell you that tetanus shots hurt a million times worse when you're an adult AND the pain lasts for DAYS. Side effects of tetanus shots? Nausea, redness around injection site, hard lumps forming near the injection site, inability to lift injected arm, muscle pain.... and which ones do I have? ALL OF THEM.

As my terrible pain became increasingly terrible throughout the day, it was my delight to come home to find a beautiful get well gift on my desk... a hand-picked bouquet of flowers from around our farm. They are beautifully arranged in a simple vas (yes, vas. The moment requires a bit of formality as this may never happen again.). Does it make me "get well soon"? No, but it reminds me that as parts of my body begin falling off one by one, I have a wonderful husband that will be there to pick up the pieces and bury them around our farm.

Sour Day Turned Sweet

Well let me just say that the annoying day from yesterday followed me in my sleep and caught me by the heels (or fingertip) again today... the coral reef in my finger is apparently going to be with me for a while longer, despite a completely useless trip to the doctor. And we discovered several more bills that await payment that we were not planning on. So, being a HUGE PMSing female at the moment, I cried.

Sour day? You bet. I then get home and my new hubby sends me a text to go to my computer. (Curiousity rising....) There is a Word document opened, telling me how sorry he is that I'm having a bad day, and that there is a surprise for me behind my computer that will hopefully make things sweeter. (Curiosity getting slightly out of control....) And behind my computer were two of the most beautifully delicious chocolate bars (one with nuts, one without.... he was obviously symbolizing our relationship...) waiting for me. Definately made my sour day so much sweeter :)

One quick question though.... why do men make regular gutteral grunting sounds? Like a perpetual clearing of the throat? It's right up there with the moaning whenever they move or lift something, even if that something isn't heavy.... Uuugggghhhh. Does it really help? Stop grunting! Especially in the middle of the night when you get up to pee! It wakes us women up!

But I guess the chocolate covers a multitude of sins... ;)

Week One

Ok, so this is already a failed attempt at keeping a daily record of my first year of marriage. But how was I to know that Mexico (our behind-the-times honeymoon locale) would have a 15 minute internet limit per day.... PER ROOM!? AND how was I to plan for getting coral reef stuck into the middle fingertip of my right hand, rendering me impaired during my typing sessions (PS, it's still in there... the stubborn thing just simply WONT come out!). And honestly, there was no way for me to know that we would already have had a huge fight that I simply didn't want to start blogging about, making our seemingly normal relationship look flawed within the first week of our life together.

Thus, I start my yearly journal now. A week and a half into the marital trek. And how did the trek begin? With my wonderful new hubby, Pat, making a to-do list for around the house. (I was as shocked as anyone). He walked right into the bedroom and asked for a list of things for him to do. It's basically a dream come true.... but I didn't want to overload him, just in case this was a fluke. I want to test the waters on small tasks before delving into such things as crown molding and unpacking his suitcase. However, he DID bring my car in to get a new battery after my car failed to start today.

So, despite the fight-that-shall-not-be-mentioned-again incident, the first "day" has been a success. Now if only I could get him to stop dripping coffee all over the counter....