Contractors is French for Contradicting

For the past two weeks we've been interviewing contractors to remodel our kitchen and install shutters on several windows. Tomorrow is our last day of interviews (but not the last of design consultations). In total we will have interviewed 7 contractors and received 7 different opinions which is very frustrating.

When it comes to the shutters we are needing them for an odd shaped window. We've been told by one sales rep that synthetic shutters last the longest. By another that wood is the way to go because they (and only they) avoid discoloration. By others that synthetic will only work because of the large size of our window. And yet again by another that it is impossible to cut synthetic to fit an odd shaped window and therefore wood would be our only option. All of the contradicting opinions are enough to make my head spin.

Then it comes to the kitchen. We've told all the contractors that we want a complete demolition of the existing kitchen to be replaced with custom made shaker cabinets, travertine flooring, granite counters, and a tumbled travertine back splash that goes from counter to cabinets. We also want an existing wall half torn down so that the kitchen opens up into the living room. We've been told by one contractor that there is no way the job can be done for less then $40k. By another that we can have all that in exactly the way we described for $25k. Another contractor says that if we take too much of the wall down and have to rewire electricity then our costs will skyrocket. Another says that the whole wall should be taken down to really open up the space. And a third says the wall is needed for load bearing support and if we take it down our dining room ceiling will begin to sag. Oye Vey. All these different opinions make me want to scream. Whom should we believe? The overly expensive contractor who seem to know what they are doing? The gung-ho and reasonably priced contractor who seems to embrace all of our ideas? Or the cautious contractor who seems to shy away from any of our ideas that bring great change to the layout?

Tomorrow is a final interview with a 4th kitchen contractor as well as the final shutter sales rep. I am hoping that either one of them agrees with something the other contractors have said. If not, I'm not sure we will know who to believe and trust with a several thousand dollar project. Wish us luck.

Our Kitchen Now

Wall on left side of picture to be taken down in kitchen remodel.

Design inspiration for our future kitchen.

I Married a Prepubescent Male

Growing up I had a younger brother who would throw a tantrum at the slightest provocation. If you cooked him scrambled eggs and they turned out slightly brown instead of perfectly yellow and fluffy he would scream. If you didn't let him ride in the front seat of the car he would begin crying. If you tried to get him to do his fair share of the chores (or any chores at all) he would stomp around the house in a very foul mood. My mom often coddled and babied him anytime his temper brewed. Partly because she was a big fan of the boys in our family and didn't understand girls, makeup, or anything frilly. She would have been very happy if I had turned out to be a tom boy but unfortunately for her I actually like to wear skirts and enjoy owning more then two pairs of shoes. The other reason is that it was just easier to baby my brother before he threw a fit then it was to do the fair thing and then have to endure a titanic size tantrum. Even though he was still throwing fits about his eggs when I moved out of the house at the age of 21.

Needless to say these days I have a short fuse for anyone who acts like a baby over trivial matters. The weekend didn't start out well when I scheduled a 9:30 am appointment at the tax man on a day that happened to be David's day off (Good Friday holiday). For a day he pouted and exhaled loudly until I finally asked him what was wrong and like a sullen teenager he told me that ummm ... Hello! He was like totally going to use his day off to drive out to the woods and shoot his rifle for fun. Like didn't I know that a trip to the tax man was going to totally ruin his day and his weekend for the matter. And then at that point he gave a big loud sigh, put his hands on his hips, and rolled his eyes.

This week has been exceptionally busy for me as I try to balance work, french class, gym time each afternoon, and meeting with multiple kitchen contractors. For Dave it's easier as he works from home and can just step away from his desk to meet with a contractor while I have to drive home, meet, and then drive back to work. I was having a hard time fitting all these appointments in my hectic work schedule and it just so happened that Friday was the only day that worked for a tax man appointment.

Then Dave threw a fit when one evening I laid on the couch and read my book while he grilled steaks. After dinner I asked him to take a few plates to the kitchen and once again Dave became a rebellious teenager and huffed and puffed about how I was expecting him to cook and do the dishes! Gasp! What a cruel and unjust wife I was. I guess he had forgotten that 4 out of 5 nights I cook and usually do the dishes as well as clean the house and do the laundry. We have a gardener for outside and Dave doesn't excel at home improvement projects so his weekly chores consist of defending our family honor on playstation 3 games as well as keeping up to date with as much NASCAR, golf, and basketball games as possible. I'd hate to see how the poor guy would adjust if we ever decided to have kids. It might actually require him to cut back from 8 hours a day of selfish "him" time to 3 or 4. Unjust, cruel world.

It culminated this weekend when in between preparing a classic Easter dinner I took 5 minutes to try and cuddle with him on the couch. The teenager reared it's ugly head and gosh why can't I go in the other room and watch tv cuz he was like soooooooo busy switching channels on this tv and didn't I know that he didn't want to cuddle. And why do we always have to do things that I want to do and never things that he wants to do. Like ever! It's always things that I want to do and they suck like cuddling. It all really sucks and why do I want to do something so sucky???

At this point my head exploded from all the baby nonsense that was spewing forth from his mouth. I knew Dave was stressed out from work and a few family issues (his not mine) and men (especially mine) never deal well with stress and emotions. I could have coddled him and let it all blow over and agreed with him that the cuddling was really over the line and I am so sorry that I make his life so unfair. But at that point I wasn't in the mood for coddling so I pretty much verbally let him have it.

Now after an evening of not talking to each other he still hasn't tried to say he is sorry to me which really bothers me since he is usually good about the saying sorry thing. And we rarely fight so any fight (no matter how small or inconsequential) leaves me bothered and wishing it was over. As of this morning he still hadn't said he was sorry although he was speaking to me in a very nice manner. When we fight and don't make up right away I am always tempted to stay home from work the next day and barricade myself in the bedroom while I watch sappy lifetime movies. Watching a woman get cheated on by her best friend's sister who also has cancer always makes me feel better in some odd way. Unfortunately, it has been 85 and ultra-sunny here lately so I knew when I woke up this morning that staying in bed all day wouldn't work out. When the sun is shinning and the birds are chirping it is almost impossible to indulge your inner drama queen. C'est la vie.

Notes from the Slightly Buzzed

I spent the beginning of this week stomping my feet and wishing I was still on vacation. I can guarantee that 3/4 of my day I sat at my desk drumming my fingers while counting down the minutes until I could go home. Obviously I relaxed during my 6 days in Las Vegas. I quickly became accustomed to sleeping in til 11am, exercising, eating lunch, and then sitting by the pool before a leisurely dinner and a night of gambling. I keep telling Dave that it was the life I was supposed to live but he doesn't seem willing to let me quit work and become a kept woman.

The middle of the week I spent catching up on life. I brought my french book with me to Vegas thinking that I would spend a few hours each day catching up on the lessons I was missing but needless to say the book never even left my suitcase.

The end of the week was spent interviewing contractors for our upcoming kitchen remodel. Virtually the entire room is being gutted and a wall is being taken down. While I am very excited for the work to begin, I am not excited for the $25k to $40k bids that we keep receiving. While we have enough in savings to cover the bids, that would mean no other home improvement projects for awhile and most likely no new Lexus 400h this summer. Ho hum ;-(

Today is Easter and Dave and I are spending it alone. I don't have an issue with this but I do wish my hubby would stop being a cranky dick. He seems to be stressed about work and is taking it out by stomping around the house and acting like a sullen 3 year old. Wish me luck as I try to cheer him up (or kick him in the balls which would cheer me up).

Also, West Coast from Coconut Records which I am in love with. Jason Schwartzman is so damn cute in the movie Marie Antoinette and I just want to kiss him all over while he sings me West Coast.

Twitter-able

I am home. I am back at work.

I'd much rather be back in Vegas in a hotel bed sleeping until 11 am.

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ..............

EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeee!!!

I really shouldn't count my chickens before they are hatched, but we just got an email telling us that our room in Las Vegas has been upgraded to a Junior Suite! This makes me so much more excited about this trip then should be exibited by a 27 year old woman. I feel like a 10 year old who is going to Disneyland for the 1st time. EEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Confession Time

We're leaving in a week for 6 days in Las Vegas where the weather is 80 and hot, hot, hott. Last weekend I realized that my current attire of hoodies, jeans, and flip flops wasn't going to cut it next to the pool. Also, my usual vacation wardrobe of skirts and shorts "might" not fit due to a few excess pounds that have found their way on my body. And by "might" I mean are so far away from fitting that I didn't even attempt to try them on. The end result would have just been a very messy closet strewn with things that don't fit and me red faced and teary. Not even worth trying.

I figured that skirts and shorts would expose too much of my untoned legs so sun dresses would be the way to go.

My first stop was the mall where unfortunately all the sundresses were cute but either too Easter-y or cut so low that my ample boobage would spill forth and make me look like a hooker.


Since all million shops in our large mall were out, I figured that maybe Target and Mervyn's would have something like I was looking for (simple so that I could wear it more then once and covers my boobs). Unfortunately, Target has obviously turned into a costume shop because everything either looked like it was trying to recreate the 70's flower child, medieval maiden, 60's mod, or 50's housewife. WTF?


In a last ditch effort I went to Old Navy which for me is always hit or miss. I was in luck because Old Navy had a few dresses in exactly the style I was looking for. This was one of my favorites, it was a little too bilowy in the mid section but paired with espadrilles and funky jewelery it is super cute.


And this was my other favorite. It fit slimmer cut through my belly and my boobs loved the straps. It looks more formal in the pic then it actually was. It's made of a cotton and linen mix that will be perfect in the hot weather. As I was checking out the lady pointed out to me that the dress was actually a maternity dress. At that point I just didn't care anymore as I was tired and shopped out. It would be my luck that the maternity dress is the one that fits the best. Oye Vey.