Morning Rush
Avery and I didn't wake up until 8:30 today. D gave her milk at some point this morning, which is why she slept later. I had an appointment at 9:00, so I knew it was going to be a mad rush. I hopped in the shower, got dressed, got Avery dressed and was out the door by 9:00. I dropped off Avery at school and was "only" 20 minutes late for my appointment. Then, my appointment ran long, so I was late getting home to meet the handyman. Thankfully, I was only 2 minutes late getting home and he arrived a minute or after that.
Handyman
I have the handyman here doing various odd projects, the most important of which is installing our new garage storage unit. I am so looking forward to getting things put into that! I had to figure out a new plan for where to put it when I realized the wall I'd intended to put it against wouldn't work (not important why). However, I think the new space will work out quite well.
Before he got to work on the garage stuff, I had him install two knife racks at Avery's height. "What?!" you exclaim? It's my solution for hanging Avery's art work since we can't hang it on the stainless steel refrigerator. I also had him reinstall the stainless steel board I'd removed in favor of a dry erase board. If you think the knife racks looks a little crooked, you're wrong. Those are level. What is not level is the light switch panel. Something that will drive me batty until my dying day.
Another quick project I had him complete was Avery-height coat hooks in the kitchen closet. It's rather hard to ask her to hang up her coat when she can't actually reach the hangers. My solution is a bar with hooks on it. It's also designed for the kitchen, but I hope it'll work well for this purpose. It is from IKEA (i.e. inexpensive), so if it doesn't work out, so be it.
Sharpies and mosquito repellent
Avery wrote on the hardwoods the other day with a green Sharpie. To remove it, first I tried vinegar and water - nothing. Next, I got online and found a suggestion for using toothpaste and baby wipes. For good measure, I also updated my FB status about the incident. The toothpaste started to lighten it just a bit, but I had to scrub really hard. The picture I posted is after I had scrubbed quite a bit. When that didn't work, I went back to my computer to do more research. A friend from HS commented on my status that she'd just heard mosquito repellent gets out Sharpie stains. We happened to have some left over from D's camping trip with Avery, so I got it and tried it. It lifted the stain up immediately. No scrubbing required. Poof!
So there you go. If your kid gets hold of a Sharpie, go for the mosquito repellent. Yes, I did gather up all the Sharpies and rubber banded them together and put them in the back of the drawer. Putting them up high would probably be smarter, but I actually use them a fair amount, so I'm hoping the rubber band is enough of a deterrent. If not, I have mosquito repellent (famous last words, I'm sure).
Cough
I still have a cough, but I think it's getting better. My voice is still hoarse, but I think there's a minor improvement. Hopefully with very little talking today and tomorrow (Avery's school days), it'll get better much faster.
