New Balls

This was Jared exciting purchase for the month. We got him a set of billiard balls for the pool table. We purchased them off ebay for $.01...of course shipping was $30.00 but still a great deal...at least until Erin chucks one through a double-paned window :)

Update

So I really haven’t updated any specifics lately. I got a minute this afternoon so I will fill you in on the semi-exciting life of the Renshaws.

June has been crazy. I turned 25 years old a few weeks ago and got the long awaited discount on car insurance. Jared bought me a power sander (don’t worry I asked for it, he’s not in the dog house because I got a power tool for my birthday).

We locked in our mortgage rates for the house, the rates jumped a quarter point right before we locked in, but that’s life. We could not lock prior to sixty day before closing; therefore we had no control over the situation and no reason to fret. Now all we need to do is decide on insurance carrier and we are ready to close.

We just purchased our first thing for the new house – a 5 hp 12-gallon wet/dry vac – good deal at the HD. Our two new hangouts are Home Depot and Lowes. It is a bit ironic because we both dreaded the “do-it-yourself” stores when we were little. Our parents would drag us in and spend hours looking at faucet fixtures and garden hoses while we almost died of boredom. Now we get to pass that wonderful childhood memory onto Erin.

Britt, Jared’s sister visited us for a week. We had a good time, just tooled around the city and hung out. The photos are from the Children Museum of Houston. She babysat a lot for us, which was nice to have some alone time. Her boyfriend from Dallas also came down and stayed a few days.

Erin is wild as ever. She is now talking up a storm, but mainly all I hear is a constant round of “puppy”, “kitty” “cow” and “baby” – her four favorite things. She has been obsessed with cows since our trip to Iowa and cow finally earned a ride in a bleach laundry load today – he had been through much trauma.

I just finished the greeting card line I have been working on for last past three months. They were going to print 100 and start locally, but the print quality was poor so they are printing 12,000 initially. The proof should be in by tomorrow and then the printing starts.
They are still building the website, but check it out http://www.angeltalk.com/ I’ll list it on my side bar also. That leaves an opening so I am looking for a new design gig although I am not too serious, July is a busy month and I still have some projects going on.
That’s about all!

To the Zoo...

So Shannon thinks I need to update more, so I am going to get better about it. I guess I have let my blogging slip a bit :) My SIL Brittany got into town Friday and we have been hanging out all weekend. Friday we went to the zoo and had a great time. Minus the point it was 98 degrees - hot temperatures and the smell of zoo exhibits just do not mix well. Today we are heading downtown Houston to the organic market and then maybe to the children’s museum. Anyway here are some pics from the zoo…



Monkey Viewing......
Britt & Erin
Erin took her first ride on a carousal. She was scared the first round but then she loved it. Most of our pics from the zoo did not turn out because it was so humid.

Rain Rain Go Away.....

Just to let you know we are fine. We live on the second floor and and our area did not flood, although we recieved between 6-8 inches of rain in under four hours. The bayous are full and we are looking at another 2-5 inches tonight. They are comparing this to T. S. Allision. I guess its just a warm welcome into hurricane season :)

Besides that we worked out financing for our house today and we were happy with it. We can't lock in our rate until 60 day prior to closing, which is in about 10 days, so lets hope rates steady a bit...keep your fingers crossed. Now we just need to find insurance and we are set.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to both Big “E” and Larry Dean from the three of us. Time moves quickly. We love you and miss you!

Every now and then, the diesel fumes from the traffic will cross with the weekly mow schedule of a suburban neighborhood and the combining smells triggers the memory of Dad packing my blanket and a snack and loading me in the old case tractor cab. For hours, I sat on that old metal floor coloring and napping as he planted spring crops and mowed summer hay. That innocence of childhood only seems like only a moment ago; then I realize I can begin to count the decades and watch the generations progress.

Big " E" & Emm - 1983

Big "E" and Emm 2005

Jared ~ 1983

Father’s Day is now not only for my father but also for my husband. Jared and Erin make me laugh together. They are pretty buddy buddy, she is Daddy’s little girl and loves him dearly. I know everyone say she looks like me, but looking at Jared childhood photos I see a lot of resemblance.

CPR Certification

Tonight I attended an annual CPR refresher course. Its only a hour or two, just enough to get updated on the new techniques and become comfortable with it again. Erin also attended and almost received her certification. Unfortunately, she had a little trouble with the chest compressions, but she loved kissing the dummies.

One Step Closer…

We put an offer in for the house Friday morning and they accepted our first offer Friday afternoon on the terms that we close a month later. This works great for us because we have our apartment contract until Aug 31 and were just thinking we would have to eat August rent for our roach infested cave in the ghetto.

Now the ball is rolling and things are getting crazy. Our inspection is this coming Wednesday (keep your fingers crossed) and then we work on financing and finding an insurance company that has not exhausted the number of hurricane policies they can write.

We are really excited, I think we have stayed up the last three nights just talking about things we would really love to do with the house, but in reality will not be able to afford for a decade.
Wednesday I will take some more photos at the inspection and post them. Photos like the façade of the house, which I will give an early warning, its not exactly pretty, but nothing a tree and a few vines can’t fix.

So we took the leap and put an offer on a house. Nothing is forsure yet, but we are really excited. After a year of looking through over 30 houses (and seeing about 8 floor plans) we found our gem nestled in an early 90’s neighborhood.

There are hardwood floors with granite inlays throughout the downstairs; granite countertops, arbor and patio off the back and the house backs the community green space and pool. Here a few pictures…Entryway w/ wood & granite floor

Kitchen


upstairs family room
kitchen
livingroom
fireplace
backyard
cedar walk-in closet
upstairs bathroom
kitchen floor tile detail
master bath

Photos from Iowa

Iowa was great, not much time to write, but the photos tell the story.

Iowa Landscapes

Monastery, Dubuque Iowa

Mississppi Marsh

Pike's Peak S.P, McGregor

Pike's Peak S.P, McGregor

Rural Church, Dubuque Iowa

NE Iowa Farm

Back to the basics…

So far, our trip has been great! We left our house at 5 am Saturday morning and caught a flight out of IAH to O’Hare. Our flight from O’Hare to Dubuque almost got cancelled because the stewardess got sick, but luckily, some one-stepped in.

Erin did great on the plane. Flying into Dubuque was fun. It’s a Podunk airport – one runway. Its one of those airports when you get ready to land you still see no sign of an airport and begin to wonder if it’s a strip mowed in the grass buffer between fields. But Dubuque is moving up in the world, the runway was paved and they actually have a luggage carousel.

My parents met us and dropped off a car and dad directed us on the back roads so we didn’t have to “fight” the “heavy” city traffic of Dubuque. And it was a good choice. The way home took us past several quaint churches, and old monastery that is still running and a seminary nestled in the hills far from anything. It was a beautiful drive and made us realize how much we miss this place.

Sunday Max graduated from high school. The commencement ceremony was so long and boring, makes me happy I did not attend my own college graduation. But it was cool to see him finally walk across the stage and start his next stage of life. Leave it to Max to place a remote controlled fart machine under the stage at graduation. Every time the principal stood up to speak they triggered it. The sound only carried to the third row but those three rows were laughing so hard, it was noticed.

Sunday night we drove to Des Moines to see Renshaws. Jared’s grandpa got out of the hospital after two months so we stopped by to see them. He’s doing well. We have just been hanging with family. Erin is getting spoiled and is loving every minute of it. Today we are heading to the zoo and tomorrow back to NE Iowa.
Till Next Time…

Heading Home....

In less than 24 hours we will be on a plane heading home…. I am so excited! Its been a rough week. I had several deadlines to meet prior to leaving and I finished up everything yesterday. Erin has been sick with a stomach virus all week…lets just day some days I am thankful I live in an apartment….need I say more.
My baby brother graduates from high school Sunday, its hard to believe he is that old. So I am heading off for two weeks of low air pollution, non-existent traffic with people who actually wave with all five fingers, few stoplights, lots of cows and miles of gravel roads…

BIRD FLU HITS TRAILER PARK IN FLORIDA

Someone sent this to me via email. I thought it was hilarious and it was worth sharing

Children's Museum

Erin got to go to the children’s museum again this week. We went with a group of friends and they were wild. She had a blast. Her favorite thing was the wheelbarrow (yup, I got myself a dirt digger :)
Her second favorite thing was the Mexican van. They have an exhibit about Mexico and the main attraction is a stripped down 1970’s baby blueVW van. It seems like a broad cultural assumption to put an old party van in the Mexico exhibit, but all politics aside it was the hit of the museum. Driving the Mexican Van
Besides that things are crazy here. I am working like mad trying to meet some product deadlines before leaving for home. Speaking of 10 days until I see the rolling hills of Iowa, I can’t wait. I was doing great until I was stuck in traffic this week and I thought to myself I soooo need some fresh air and gravel roads before I break out in a major episode of road rage. Well may be not that major- its Houston, serious road rage involves guns….:)
Kylie & Erin Riding in the Party Van
So for all point people, we’ll be home for Max’s graduation and the following week.
She has her Daddys sense of fashion.....