When theres a note on your door...

The Joys of Home Ownership
volume three

So, I arrive at the house on tuesday to work on it, and theres a note on the door. *crap, what now*

The note is from the City of Fresno, and it states "Notice and order to remove public nuisance violations". It also states "The condition of the building upon this property constitutes a "Blighted Building" and it is required that you correct the violations upon the property. The violations must be removed by April 13, and the building cannot be vacant past April 25th."

Oh yeah, and did I mention that the city says we owe them $85 for having to come out & serve the paperwork, $185 for having an unoccupied building, and by the way...we'll owe another $85 for them to come out & inspect the property after the "violations" have been taken care of. *pulling hair out & screaming*

I called the city & spoke to our inspector. Apparently he's seen a lot worse & feels bad for us, but someone in the neighborhood complained & he was required to act upon it. Apparently, us over there working on the house every day just isn't fast enough for them. *Grrrrr*

A Day At The Beach. Part II

Our first stop was a a vary popular seaside town call Pismo Beach. EVERYBODY from Fresno goes to "Pismo", as we like to call it.

Pismo is nice because it's got a great pier for fishing, a lot of beach for playing, quaint "tourist traps" for shopping, and finally it sports the most award winning clam chowder in the state! The line to place your order always is out the door and around the side of the building. I have been going to The Surf Shop just for clam chowder since I was a kid. There are times my sister and I have made the drive just because we were craving it...and we're not the only ones!
So here is a picture of baby Bella hanging out, while Tracy and I chowed down on clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. Yummy!

Luckily Tracy & I are pretty laid back about the day. It was quite the challenge having the 4 kids between us & trying to order food, find tables, get everyones drinks, cut up food, go to the bathroom, watch the baby, stop Kiernans constant crying (I don't know why), and handle the "I don't want this", "I dropped that", "That's mine", "Can I have yours?", "Are we going to the beach yet?", and "I don't want to sit here" comments. Seriously, we really were having fun.

To Be Continued...

A Day At The Beach. Part I

Last week was spring break here in California. I worked all week & started to feel a little bad for the kids as they told me about all of the things that their friends were doing for the break. Finally at the end of the week I decided to take a day off & do something fun...a trip to the beach!

The weather was perfect. I called my friend Tracy to invite her & her kids Trevor & baby Bella. They were all for it, so a plan was set. I met Tracy & her kids on the other side of town to load up all of us into my car for the drive. It's a 3 hour trip...2 1/2 the way I drive. (2 hours if I'm by myself.) We started transferring her stuff to my car at 7:30am, about 30 minutes later we had managed to fit into my car:1 baby w/ carrier, 2 hyper boys, 1 cranky girl, 3 bags of clothes, 2 bags of food, a giant stroller, purses, books, beach toys, DVD players, 2 surprised moms, and one giant kite.

It then took another 15 minutes to load the DVD player, hook up the ear phones, set up the Ipod movie, get out the snacks, find the cell phones, buckle everybody in, pull out the baby toys and actually START THE CAR! That would be a grand total of 45 minutes in a Carls Jr parking lot trying to leave.

While it was a slow start to the day, the kids were great in the car. The baby slept & the moms got to chat, so all in all it was already a good day by the time we got to the beach.

To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

This weekend we celebrated Jakes birthday...for the 4th time! Apparently I haven't figured out how to coordinate all of the friends, family, acquaintances, Bobs, Jims & Joes that I thought needed to be invited to celebrate. This may take me a few years.

I sent out handmade invitations thinking, "Hey, I'm crafty!" Okay, while I may be crafty, apparently I'm not so smart. The very next day the calls started rolling in...somehow I managed to not only get the date of the party wrong (everyone wanted to know if it really was on a monday at 2 in the afternoon?), but Jakes age too. He came home upset because his friends were teasing him about turning 6 years old, when really it's 7. But hey, they looked fabulous, in spite of being completely innacurate.

This is Jake with the cake I made for him, it's a "Chinese Dragon" since he was having his party at a Karate studio. He was thrilled with the cake & wanted to eat it immediately...as in immediately after I frosted it. Sorry kid, after all that work (2 cake mixes & 4 cans of frosting later!) I wanted somebody to see it besides him & I. Everybody had pretty much the same response when they saw it.

"Humph! You made that didn't you" (insert accusational tone of voice here)


This studio was a total birthday bargain! The guy running it had tons of games planned, from some crazy dodgeball, to beating each other with giant foam bats (the boys were in heaven), and a great obstacle course with hitting, kicking, rolling & hopping among other things.

All in all, a good time was had by all. The kids were exhausted...

the moms got to chat...

And everybody left happy!

Cutie nephew, Baby Luke!! Sweetest baby ever!

This, is how you do it...

The Joys of Home Ownership

Volume Two

Mike Coleman, 5 hours. One Spot.
Shelby Coleman, 3 hours. One corner.

Terry West, one hour. Three rooms.

*SIGH*

And So It Begins....

The Joys of Home Ownership
Volume One

At 2:00 Friday afternoon we got the keys to our (not so new) new house.
At 2:30 we went to go look at our new house, because now we could do it without breaking any real estate laws. We couldn't really do anything there, and we'd seen it a dozen times already, but this time we actually owned it & could stand there staring at it for as long as we wanted, and the Nazi Regime also known as Countrywide Lending couldn't say a dang thing!
At 2:45 the City of Fresno stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood (that we'd belonged to for all of 45 minutes) and then cite & fine us. Apparently the real estate company (note: see afore mentioned Nazi Regime) illegally turned on the water to the house.
*sigh*

Volume Two

12:00 Saturday afternoon Mike went over to the house to "work on it". Yay! Getting things done!
3:30 I took the kids to go & see how it was going. I cruised the house to find the project he chose to work on...since there are so many to be done.
Hmmm, maybe he scraped the popcorn off of the bedroom ceilings, then I could paint the kids rooms. Nope. Okay, maybe he started power spraying the moss off of the outside of the house, better curb appeal...that would be good. Nope. Well, he must have started pulling down the wallboard in the living area so that we could get it floated & textured? No. Cleaning up the backyard? No. Scraping up the linoleum? No.
So about this time a friend shows up & gets the tour of the house. Mike & I show him around & finally end up at the garage. Mike takes him in and excitedly explains about the power washer my dad loaned him & what a great job it did of cleaning up THIS SPOT on the garage floor.
"Right here the oil was so thick it was like tar, it took me awhile, but look at that! It was layer after layer of grease...but look at it now!"

5 hours later it's just a regular oily spot on the cement floor of the garage, instead of a big, nasty one. Whatever that means.
*Grrrrrrr*

I think we need to have a discussion about priorities.

Snow much fun!!

Last weekend was the 5th(?) annual Coleman family snow trip. For our family it was actually the first annual, since this is the first year we've been able to attend. What a great time we had.
The kids really enjoyed hanging out with Aunts, Uncles & Cousins for the weekend. There was a lot for us to do...we ate, played games, ate, did puzzles, ate, watched movies, ate, and went sledding. Did I mention that we ate. A lot. All weekend long.

Unfortunately Jacob was sick when it was time to go, so I stayed behind an extra day with him, hoping he would get better quickly. Sadly, this meant that he wasn't able to go on the ski trip that he & Mike had been planning. Luckily, Kiernan was able to go, and she loved it. She did a great job & hardly complained.

The Uncles (and Aunt Tina) did a fabulous job building some great sled runs right behind the cabin. We had a small one for the toddlers, and a long spinny, twisty one for big kids and adults, which we called The Luge! So Fun. Oh yeah...then there was the one that Mike & Scott made that went under the snow. That's right, it was a sled run through a tunnel! No joke, check out the pictures to see.

Jake stayed sick until nearly the last day, which made him sad, but he's already looking forward to next year. Here are a few scenes from the trip...enjoy:

Mom & Jake helping each other out, after sledding off of the track & into the trees!

Jacob heading back up the hill for another run.

Couple of snow bunnies, after riding the Coleman Family Luge together.

Jenna coming out of the tunnel slide that Uncle Scott & Uncle Mike built...super cool!!

Some of the Coleman gang out for a wild ride


Kiernan's first ski trip...just her and Daddy.

What a fast learner

Looking good, while having fun.


Go, Go Kiernan!!

Jake The Destroyer.

I left my friend in San Francisco...

Mmmm, Mimi's!

Us on the BART...this is taken after the transvestite (in very snappy heels) but before the cussing rapper & his highly embarassed friends.

Woo Hoo...We look like hot escapees from Alcatraz. Did we actually leave the hotel like this, no. Did we actually buy the same exact shirt, yes! Great taste can't be denied.

Two weekends ago my BFF -Texas style came out to California. Melanie flew in on thursday & left on Sunday, just enough time to get into a little trouble in San Francisco! I left early from work to pick her up a Oakland airport, because we were staying in Pleasanton for the weekend. Here's how the weekend began:

Mel: I've landed, are you close?
Shel: Yeah, about 1 hour. I'll call when I get there.

45 min later... (have you seen me drive?)

Shel: Okay, I'm here. Man this weather sucks (pouring rain outside). Are you outside?
Mel: I'm in Terminal 1, pick me up there...
Shel: Terminal 1? There aren't any terminal numbers here?
Mel: There aren't?
Shel: No, it's pretty small. Are you outside?
Mel: I'm looking for you. Where are you?
Shel: What do you mean? I'm right outside the terminal...
Mel: No, I mean where am I?
Shel: Huh?
Mel: Are you in San Francisco?
Shel: No. I'm in Oakland...didn't you book your flight here?
Mel: (mumbling in backgound) Uhhhh, I'm in San Francisco.
Shel: I'm sorry...what?
Mel: They lost my reservation, it must have changed when I rebooked. Oops! Sorry.

Luckily Mel & I are pretty laid back in regards to vacations. We just drifted from thing to thing...no set schedule. It was great! It was so fun hanging out with Mel again, in spite of the nasty weather. We spent a VERY productive day in San Fran (maybe a little too productive...) and then puttered the rest of the weekend. 3 movies and one very bizarre manicure later we were feeling pretty relaxed.

I took her to several "California" restaurants, and an old Texas favorite or two (yum, Cheesecake!), while taking in the San Fancisco "scene". We thought the transvestite on the BART was pretty interesting, until the rapper got on...dancin' & cussin' in the seat right next to us. Mel yells, "Sombody get me off of this train!"...she obviously did not grow up in gang country! :) Luv' ya girl...always making life fun!

All of this can be yours...

Well, we close on the house Feb. 28th. In two more weeks all of THIS *insert sarcasm here* will be ours! We're especially proud of the Harvest Gold tile & fixtures in the kitchen, and the one time gold carpets throughout the house. We got some exciting *sarcasm, again* news last week...the house has mold (not the bad kind) in one wall, and termites (ground treatment only). Yay! Projects!

We had plenty of time to back out, but we really see potential here so we're going for it. You are looking at the next 5 years of my life people! As a matter of fact...you may be looking at the next 5 years of your life too (Dad, Scott, Chris, Russell, Hee Hee), so prepare yourselves! *evil grin*

Moving on, in, up, oh whatever...

Well, we finally did it...we found a house! I could tell you about all of the drama surrounding the purchase of this particular house, but let's just say it's done. Moving on. Or, should I say moving in?

Here is the link to the MLS for the house: http://www.realtyconcepts.com/Nav.aspx/Page=http://fresnomls.rapmls.com%2fscripts%2fmgrqispi.dll%3fAPPNAME%3dFresno%26PRGNAME%3dMLSLogin%26ARGUMENT%3dBlpFQsEvNh2L4dzmHvaUKQ%253D%253D

Suffice it to say, it's currently a pit of rotting carpets & dated fixtures...but it's our pit. We found a foreclosure in a very nice neighborhood, 2650 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, living & family rooms, dining room & large bonus room. Oh yeah...and a pool. Did I ever mention that I don't like owning a pool? I don't like owning a pool. There...I said it. But, it's part of the fabulous foreclosure deal that we got, and hopefully I will come to enjoy it. We like our schools, not sure about our ward (the reviews are mixed), and the lot is 10,500 sq. ft.

There is so much to be done to it, but I suppose I have the rest of my life for that. Take a peek & tell me what you think...I'm hoping to send out really good before & after pictures some day.

Where's the Bean!?!

Kiernan has started taking dance classes at a local studio...she LOVES it!!

She takes ballet & tap, and seriously those little dance shoes are the cutest things EVER (even though they cost more than prom shoes). Pretty much they're learning to point their toes, stomp their feet, and wave their arms in the air. So, actually, I'm paying someone to refine her tantrum throwing abilities, but she looks lovely doing it.

Dance day is pretty funny. They put the beginner class in the only room without a big window to watch through, there's just a small window in the door to the room. So every saturday 8 little princesses show up, dressed to the hilt *guilty*, and stomp around the room for an hour while 10 parents manuver for a good position at the twelve-inch wide window. It's like watching water buffalo jockeying for position at the only pond in the area...all you see are well dressed rear ends with Dooney & Bourke bags swinging off to the side knocking each other out.
Believe it or not, I do not hang out at the window, I find it a little painful to watch. Kiernan is one of two 4 year olds in the class, the rest are 3 and have been in dance previously. Being a tall child in general, she is the tallest in class...with the least skills. She's actually caught on very quickly, but the first few classes I really thought she had simply inherited my Klutz gene. I just couldn't watch.

Yesterday we were getting ready for class & Kiernan declared:
K: Mom, I need a bean.
Me: A what?
K: A bean mom, for dance.
Me: *beat* Huh?
K: A BEAN Mom, you know...a BEAN.
Me: Uhhhh. To eat?
K:*getting teary* Why can't I have a bean? I want a dance bean! *tears treaming*

We do this for 10 minutes, finally I ask her to show me a bean...

K: *dragginig me into the bathroom & handing me a comb* Here mom, I need a dance bean. *points to head*
Me: *pause* OHHHHH, you want a BUN!
K: YES MOM!! *said like I'm stupidest mom on the planet*

Merry Chris"blog"mas

Here are the Turk cousins...all together. Jordyn, Evan, Lukas, Jacob, Kiernan, and Piper! Thanks Grandma Diane for the holiday duds.

Ahhh...tis' the season.


Tis' the season for standing with hoards of sweaty children waiting for your turn to "Say Cheese". (Really, who decided that "cheese" was the perfect picture taking word anyways? Wouldn't "freeeeze", or "sneeeeeze", or "take my money pleeeeease" work just as well?)

Tis' the season for elbowing your way through the aisles of Target, even when all you need is a toe nail clipper.

Tis' the season for baking all kinds of delicious goodies that you don't make all year long (but still crave) then take a gander at the pile and realize that even if you took them to family, friends, co-workers, and the U.S. Navy...you still will have to eat pumpkin bread until Easter.

Tis' the season to try desperately to keep your house "holiday clean" (this is different from "It smells clean" clean, "eat off of the floor" clean, and the ever popular "toxic juice spill" clean) while simultaneously putting out decorations, gifts, food, ornaments, embellishments, kid crafts and other clutter-like objects and trying to maintain that "clean" feel to the house.

Tis' the season to show off the family to those who haven't really seen you all year, because your kids are to darn cute not to.

Tis' the season to hang out at home and play games, eat, and watch tv...beacause the rest of the year you have no good excuse.

Tis' the season to say "Merry Christmas" to you because we miss you, love you, and can't wait to see you again!

Merry Christmas, Love the Colemans

62 in the house

Shhhhh...dont' tell my husband! I turned on the heater today.

Disneyland How-To's

How does a princess go potty?

How do you keep track of Grandpa...even if he doesn't know it?

What's a good age to get your first Ears?

How can you tell a princess is having a good time?

Which character at the park do children love the most?

When your out of baby food, does the park provides some for you?

How does a princess catch the bus?