I Went with the Black One....

We headed up this morning to IKEA and got THIS. I am hoping to have the downstairs all unpacked and ready to scrap in soon.... I really really miss scrapbooking! I haven't really been able to do any since the last week in May. Wayne even got it all assembled by himself. I am so glad that I got the black.

We were finally able to convince Carson to let us get his haircut. I bought a set of clippers back in the Spring, and started to trim his hair before we moved, and got the back trimmed and shaped, and started to trim around his ear on the right side and must have touched him with the clippers or something. He would not let me finish... so for over a month he has had one side with the hair trimmed over his ear and the other side was still long and shaggy. Fortunately for Carson the "shaggy" look is in. He is quite particular lately about his hair. He wants it long like Cooper, a little boy from his preschool class. He wants to shake his head and have it wiggle. Go figure ...little boys! Anyway I meant to get a picture of his new do... but he fell asleep relatively early tonight... so I will have to get one tomorrow. He looks so grown up with this cut. Makes me kinda sad....

We had planned on heading to the National Zoo tomorrow, but we are trying to teach Carson an important lesson about consequences. He has made a new friend down the street, and I have told him several times that he is not to go to Joey's house without permission. This afternoon he disappeared and I found him at Joey's. They are only three houses down, but he was warned. He was rather upset, and knows that he can earn it again by good behavior and helping around the house. Hopefully this will be something that he will remember, as he was really looking forward to the zoo. At least I get to work on unpacking downstairs, and getting the rest of the house organized.

Not a Whole Lot to Report

Been a busy day getting things organized and planning what we are going to do this weekend. One thing that we have wanted to do for a couple of years is hit the National Zoo. Turns out that this week the baby Giant Panda Tai Shan turned three CLICK HERE. We are thinking of maybe heading up on Sunday afternoon and checking him out. We most likely will take the metro from somewhere so we can at least park. Realistically we know that parking is going to be impossible on the weekend. So stay tuned and check back in later this weekend, I will have a ton of pictures I am sure.

We are also going to do our big Costco shop... get all the necessary things like 784 rolls of TP and paper towels...plus we need to get stocked up on groceries... we bought the bare minimum to get through the week... and I can't scrape another meal out of what we have in the freezer. Now if you want Ramen noodles.... I can feed you... but they get real old, real fast.

I have also decided what bookcases I want from IKEA... and we are headed there on Saturday. I am getting the Expedit in white most likely...although the black is sharp looking too. If you have an opinion on black verses white leave me a comment... I really could go either way. Before we moved I literally donated ALL my scrap booking furniture... kept the tables, but have nothing for storage. Anyway this system is expandable... but I want to start with the med size for now. We also want to get some bookcases for the basement at some point as well.

Well I have blathered on for too long... and Carson is sound asleep...I STILL am not accustomed to the time change...news at 11 p.m., and all programing starting at 8 p.m. I hope that we acclimate soon, although Carson IS going to bed much earlier, as it gets dark a lot earlier here too.

It's Not SPLASH!...but it's Still good Mom!

"This is Better than the Splash Dumpter!!!"

Yesterday Carson earned an afternoon of swimming. He has minded rather well the past week and we have been promising him a trip to the pool. Within 30 miles from the house we have 4 major water parks...but they all have major prices associated with them. There is a YMCA right around the corner from our house that has a water park similar to Splash, but we haven't decided if we are going to join it or another one yet. Stafford county has several pools that are available to county residents and they are open year round. They have large bubble structures that they place over the pools for the winter months. Most of the pools have Olympic size pools with smaller play pools for the kids. The one we went to yesterday had a splash pad too. I had never been to a splash pad, and thought Carson would really love it, especially if there was a dumper tank. I was right, Carson had a ball... he came up to me and said that he liked it better than Splash, because it had 5 "swinging" dumpters. It had alternating fountains that came up out of the ground, 3 water cannons, 3 seat sprinklers, and lots of other COOL stuff.

Waiting on the dump tank to dump

Some of the assorted fountains.

We are going to try out a different pool next week until we find the one that is just perfect for us.

All Aboard...Choo Choo...

I have now officially become a real commuter - I ride the train and the subway daily to get to work and back home. The distance one way is 60.3 miles, 1.5 mile from house to train station, 53.1 miles on the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) train and 5.7 miles on the DC Metro (subway) so round trip I'm doing 120.6 miles a day or 603 miles a week. I get the VRE at the Leeland Station and get off in downtown DC at the L'Enfant Station where I walk 1/2 a city block to the Metro station and grab the Orange line towards the Ballston Station which is right in front of the building I work in.

Let's do the math...603 miles a week divided by 18 miles per gallon (what my 2001 Ford F-150 with 103,000 miles on it gets) = 33.5 gallons (tank holds 24 gallons), 33.5 gallons times the current unleaded rate in our area of about $3.92/gallon = $131.32 /week times 4 weeks a month = $525.28

VRE Monthly ticket fare from Leeland Station to L'Enfant Station = $ 237.00 (daily round trip tickets cost $17.10 times 20 work days a month = $342.00 buying a monthly ticket results in a $105.00 savings).

Metro ticket $100.00 face value - subsidized through my company = $ 75.00 (company underwrites 25% of fare).

Total Monthly Cost to Commute = $312.00 which results in a $213.28 dollar savings over driving.

Now lets look at the time involved, it takes approximately 78 minutes to go from the Leeland Station to L'Enfant Station there are 9 stops including L'Enfant. Then about a 10 minute walk to get to the Metro Orange Line platform, then about 20 minutes on the Orange line to go 10 stops.
So that makes it 108 minutes not including about 5 minutes to go the mile and half from the house to Leeland Station, ok so that is about 113 minutes in total, or just under 2 hours one way, or roughly 4 hours a day. Considering the amount of vehicles on I-95 and I-395 I would anticipate that going the 58.8 miles would take at a minimum 2 - 3 hours one way, so I believe that the train is the best option. It goes through some of the Virginia back country, one of the stops is at Quantico, which is a large Marine Base, at times it parallels the coast line and you can see the water and boats, and crossing the Potomac River train bridge yesterday I had a view of a airplane on approach into Regan National Airport, that was quite a sight to see. Due to DC being flight restricted the southerly approach into DCA brings you south right down the middle of the Potomac with a very low and hard right to line up on final - the bridge is just about where the planes make the hard right for final, so this aircraft was probably about 500 feet about the Potomac as he passed over us.

You might think that is quite a long time but if you have read some of my prior posts when I was living in Woodbridge you know it took me as short as 50 minutes and up to 2 hours to only go 22 miles. In addition to the favorable financial impact of not having to drive I will arrive home in a much better mood which is beneficial to both Kari and Carson, and me too. I'm also saving 603 miles a week on my truck that should significantly extend the life of it.

I'm going to enjoy riding the train - maybe one of these days, Kari and Carson will be able to take it too, I know he will enjoy it.

Crabs! and Scenery!

I just found the USB cable for my point and shoot camera, and remembered that there were some pictures from last week that would be blog worthy.

While we were PATIENTLY waiting for the truck to deliver our stuff...we spent four nights at a hotel. So every evening we would find a different place to eat, and kinda get a feel for the area. One night we found a Joe's Crab Shack... I know that there are tons of fresh seafood places... but at the time we did not know where one was. Anyway...Carson always eats my crab legs whenever I get crab legs, so tonight we ordered him some of his own. He had a great time eating and learning how to correctly crack crab legs. He ate every last one... and wanted more.

The next day, Carson and I spent the day learning the area while Wayne was at work. I found a road that led to the coast of the Potomac. It was a stunning drive, through the backwoods region and very winding and canopy covered drive. I had seen some signs stating that there was a beach area about 12 miles down the road.... and Carson being Carson wanted to play in the sand. At the end of the drive there was a restaurant on a pier in the water by a boat slip area. This was a little resort type area called Fairview Beach, Tim's 2 was the name of the restaurant/bar. The sign as you walk up the boardwalk to the restaurant says welcome to Maryland. The state boundaries are right at the water's edge... so realistically as soon as you put your foot in the water, or on the boardwalk you are in Maryland. Anyway I was telling Wayne about our travels that day and we decided that 12 miles from our house is not too far to travel to Maryland for some fresh seafood. We headed out and soon realized that this was the same route that we took two summers ago when we went to Pax River for a Vacation before heading up to D.C. Anyway we ate at Tim's 2 and it was actually very good. I had a crab cake sandwich, and Wayne had humongous fried clams.

After supper, the sun was setting and Carson and I headed out on the pier itself and took some pictures. This is looking S. towards the Chesapeake Bay

This is NW looking up river and the point in the distance is part of Quantico Marine Base.

Just a nice view of the opposite side of the river into Maryland.Carson Playing in the sand along the bottom of the pier

Exploring the Area....and Lovin What we See!

We kinda took the day off from unpacking and decided to explore the area some. Where we are living is five miles from the large bend in the Potomac River.... only short hop to the Chesapeake Bay. Then water is still very salty and believe it or not... there are beaches. Carson has been after us since we got here to go to the beach, meaning Virginia Beach. Since we don't really have the time to take that trip right now...we decided to see what these beaches had to offer. This area is called Aquia Landing and is a Stafford County park, with lifeguards and full facilities. There is a cardboard boat regatta next weekend we might check out too.

This is looking across the river into Maryland. It was kinda humid and hazy today, but it is about 3.5 miles across. That is a duck blind... I think.
The boy enjoying the sand... he said he really liked this beach because it did not have big waves.
Looking downriver at some of the landscape.
When we left this morning, we headed up North to Woodbridge about 15-20 miles. I had my very first experience at IKEA... and I will tell you I can see myself doing some serious shopping in that store. I loved the fact that they have drop off babysitting... Carson loved it also. They have a restaurant inside... that was actually very good. All three of us had a hot meal for about $14.00...including drinks. It wasn't typical fast food either... it was Swedish Meatballs and mashed potatoes, bread etc. Kids meals start at .99 cents. Anyway... we did some window shopping...trying to find some bookcases and stuff for the new house.

After IKEA we ran next door to Costco... again a new experience... very similar to Sam's... but a lot of home style stuff, and seemed to have a broader range of products. We also have Sam's club and BJ's wholesale club too. The shopping is definitely something to look forward to.

We Have to MOVE Mommy!!!!

Yesterday morning Carson all of the sudden realized that there wasn't a fireplace in this house. He was panic stricken to say the least.... he is soo concerned that Santa won't be able to come to our house this Christmas. He did not understand that Santa of course can come through any opening in a house and we were finally able to convince him that Santa will find him, and that he will make it in through the vents in the wall. He did tell Wayne that he will have to take the grate off the air intake so that Santa can get through. We will have to watch the Santa Clause movie again to remind him that Santa always gets in, whether there is a fireplace or not.

I am honored to say that I was tagged with this award by Kari Christie Not only do we share names.... we are Close to my Heart Sisters. It is always a pleasure to talk with her. Plus her artwork is Fantastic!

So the rules for this award: 1) The winner can put the logo on her blog.2) Link the person you received your award from. 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4) Put links of those blogs on yours. 5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated.
So the 7 I am going to nominate are:Carri Kassie Nicole Sandra Nicole Christine Amanda

*Happy Fourth of July* Lots of NEWS

Lots of News in the past couple of days. When we were about 45 miles out from our final destination on Sunday night. I get a call on my cell from Carson. He was all excited because he pulled his tooth in the car with Daddy. He still can't whistle... but he sure sounds cute with that little lisp. He also discovered today that his top tooth is loose too...the boy will seriously be a snaggle tooth then. He thinks that he really will whistle then. Thursday... this was a welcomed sight for us... our truck 4 days late... but there all the same. It took the four guys about 6 hours to unload. As they were finishing up... I asked if they were going to set up the beds and assemble the tables etc. They told us that they were not supposed to set up anything. I was a little upset... and I guess it showed on my face, because the next thing I know... they were in the house assembling the beds. I guess they felt bad for me.. or realized that they needed to get it done. This is last night after I have unpacked 50% of the kitchen boxes. I am going to put my boxes on Craig's list and see if I can get rid of them. We are in a mandatory recycle area... and I can't see putting all this out for the recycling trucks to pick up. This one is this morning... I can actually see counter top in this picture. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out where to put everything in the kitchen. There are lots of cabinets.... but there are only half shelves in each one... not the best storage options... but anyway... I will get it done. This is looking from the kitchen into the family room. Boxes everywhere... and more than I want to think about unpacking. I have run into a few that were packed at the end of the move, and they are always fun... finding the bathroom stuff with tools from the garage. Just trying to fill boxes.
Look closely at this picture. Carson has had more fun playing in the packing paper. It has really been a great babysitter for us. The pile is actually about half again as tall, and even more fun now.Finally tonight being the 4th, I cooked the first meal in the new house. Hamburgers on the grill, potatoes and onions in foil(hobo potatoes) and baked beans. Since we used charcoal we had hot coals for quite a while so Daddy went to the grocery store and got the fixins for S'mores. They were really good, and ohh so much better when marshmallows are toasted over charcoal. Then at dusk we went out front and lit our sparklers, and watched all the neighbors shoot off fireworks. Carson was really impressed because they were shooting them off right in their driveways. We have met some really nice people here already. It is the kind of neighborhood that everyone sits on their front porch at night or walks the neighborhood and chats with everyone else. Something we have not had since I was a child. Carson has met a little boy down the street named Joey... he has invited us for a play date one day next week. He is really excited because he has a new friend already.

If there is one complaint I have about this house... well two actually..the landlord or previous tennants were not the best house keepers. I have found congealed food crusted on the top shelves of the cabinents....grease buildup in the range hood and on top of the microwave. However, the biggest complaint I have is that when ever they painted the walls etc... they never taped off the trim or the molding... or put down drop cloths. These are things that Wayne would not look for, so I cannot blame him for that...Every single door frame in the house needs to be repainted and cleaned up a bit. I know that I will be busy getting all this done to my standards...Anyway... it is late... we are EXHAUSTED... and have a ton to do tomorrow!

At Least I have the Computer....

Today I spent several hours at the house waiting for the computer guy to get the phones and the internet hooked up... I am up and live... same email address.... new phone number... Anyway at least I have internet instead of using Wayne's work laptop at night. Kinda a bummer laying on the floor typing... but it beats twidling my thumbs. Tomorrow I am planning on deep cleaning this house and getting it ready for the furniture on Thursday.

I miss everyone back home... but have met the next door neighbors and they are very friendly and welcoming.