Dana Daily

Sarah and Emily started sixth and fifth grades, respectively, today. Nothing has changed for this year. They're both still in the same school, same bus driver, same everything. Next year we'll shake things up, but with the madness of late, it's best this year is old hat. Sarah's looking forward to joining choir, and the cooking after school club. Emmy is playing soccer, playing the flute, and looking forward to trying volleyball for the first time. I'm so ready to get this year over and done. I just love summer so much.

Fortunately Seth seems a lot better today, so plans went forward as planned. Our sitter picked him up about 5:30 to take him to a baptism party for the daughter of one of his daycare teachers. Because he was going to know so many people in attendance, and the party was right around the corner from our house, we agreed she could take him. I was a bit anxious buckling him into someone else's car, but we all need this. Shana promised to have him home around 9pm, so that gave Sal and I plenty of time to enjoy dinner. It was strange after Seth left. It took us about another 30 minutes to get ready after he left, and the house was so quiet; unsettling even. Finally Sal and I were on our way. I had mentioned wanting to try Andora , the former Cross Keys restaurant in O'Hara Township, and it did not disappoint. It's rumored this inn was a stop on the Pony Express, although I can't find confirmation of that online. For celebrations we always go all out with drinks, apps...

Seth is sick again. He got sick twice in 30 minutes, 5 times in an hour. Here we go again  😭 My poor baby  😭 😭  I just want him well. I didn't want to spend my 41st birthday cleaning up vomit, but such is the mom-life.

My mom called me Saturday morning and said that Emmy, who had spent the previous two nights at their house, had thrown up twice. She was just calling to let me know, and that I didn't need to rush to come get her. We had planned on her coming home Saturday, so I bumped up the pick-up time and arrived in Franklin just before lunch. Emmy was dressed, but definitely not herself. Since it seemed like she had the same virus I had, I cautioned her to stay away from Sarah and Seth when we got to home, and to have a simple dinner if she was hungry because in all liklihood she'd be sick again. Sure enough, at 11:30pm, she came downstairs and 30 minutes later she threw up. Sunday she was better once again and we attended church and the church picnic as a family. It was an otherwise uneventful day. Monday morning Seth woke us by crying out from his room. Sal got up, and I heard the vomiting not long after. I ran in as well. It was 5am. He continued to throw up every 30 minutes ...

After coming home from my nephew's birthday party on Sunday and finishing my fireplace project, I started to fell like there was a kettle bell in my stomach. I didn't feel sick exactly, but I certainly wasn't feeling well. I went to bed at my usual time, and slept all night. At 6am, I knew the party in my stomach was going to erupt, and erupt it did. I felt awful from 6am Monday until about 3am Tuesday morning, but still wasn't feeling great on Tuesday. I forced myself to eat some plain chicken and some watermelon for dinner, and started feeling better at that point. For how I felt I should have lost 10lbs, but alas, only 6 came off.

With the new furniture on order, I knew something had to be done about this fireplace. It's a huge eyesore and a focal point of the room. I've been cursing this behemoth for the last five years, and researching how to fix it for nearly as long. Sal told me to do whatever, and my mom was a proponent for leaving it as it was. We talked to someone about demolishing it, but not only is that an expensive option, it could lead to even bigger and more expensive structural issues. I had a carpenter give us a quote to build a surround, and it was over $5000. That just seemed outrageous, and a surround wouldn't change the stone. I discovered a white washing technique, but knew if I went that route, there would be no going back, and I might hate it just as much. We had tossed the old screen, and spent a couple hundred dollars on new doors which was an improvement, but again, it's the pink stone that was at the root of my issues. removing the failed whitewashing  I'm ...

Sal and I have been living with two, three cushion sofas in our living room for five years now. It's great when we have a house full of people for birthdays and holidays, but for day-to-day living, it was making us crazy. On Saturday, Sal said he was really over this arrangement, and I agreed. Without another thought we hauled our least favorite of the two out of the house and onto the curb. The living room was immediately improved, but then he decided to take it another step, and suggested we put the remaining couch in the basement. We can also move the tv and computer down there as well. That leaves us no furniture in the living room. So, we went shopping. We browsed and tried out dozens of couches at Levin's in Wexford. We also chose a table that will serve as a computer workstation. I'd also like two reading chairs to place on either side of the fireplace as well. After a butt-numbing two hours, we left without purchasing anything. We needed some time to thi...