First up was the tree chopper couple. They showed up with their trailer and saws and got right up to work:
First he buzzed all the branches off one by one and lowered them to the ground where the other worker cut them up and loaded them. I didn't get to see a whole bunch of the process because I was in the house baking a cake and cupcakes for a friend's birthday party. I did manage to get a few pictures though. Ryan bragged up my photography skill and now they want copies of their own. Hope my pics live up to all the hype!
First he buzzed all the branches off one by one and lowered them to the ground where the other worker cut them up and loaded them. I didn't get to see a whole bunch of the process because I was in the house baking a cake and cupcakes for a friend's birthday party. I did manage to get a few pictures though. Ryan bragged up my photography skill and now they want copies of their own. Hope my pics live up to all the hype!I did get to see him chop down the very top of the tree and lower it to the ground. Strangely, I didn't feel bad to see that messy (albeit pretty) tree get chopped down today. All I could think of was how next year there will be substantially less mess in the house due to the lack of sappy things. And how much the shingles will rejoice now that their nemesis is gone. Plus we got a good look at how rotten the tree really was on the inside.
After, they raked up all the mess and took it with them. The only way you'd ever know there had been a tree there is to look at the stump. Well, and the confetti of sawdust everywhere. I'm very pleased with how the side of the house looks without the tree. It opened the area right up, and now our flower bed (stuffed with hollyhocks) is out in the sun.
After, they raked up all the mess and took it with them. The only way you'd ever know there had been a tree there is to look at the stump. Well, and the confetti of sawdust everywhere. I'm very pleased with how the side of the house looks without the tree. It opened the area right up, and now our flower bed (stuffed with hollyhocks) is out in the sun. I'm so glad that tree is gone and taken care of. It's a huge stress off our minds. And our house. Next will be cleanup of the roof and gutter and we're that much closer to being done our big chores this summer.
Meanwhile, the alarm system installer (er, installer-ette?) was working on the inside of the house putting up sensors and making holes in my walls. I'm pleased with the new system - it's very low key and straight forward to use. She taught me a few tricks to changing the settings and it only took minutes to learn how to use it once it was set up. I'm going to sleep a lot better downstairs now that we will know instantly if someone has entered the house.
Ah, on to the fun stuff. Baking. It's no secret I get a tad cranky-ish when I'm making a serious cake for someone. Today I embraced that knowledge and tried to curb it. Since I had tree cutters outside and an alarm installer inside (with a full on teething and needy toddler hanging off one leg to boot, heh), I really had to put my game face on and get things done.
Cailin wanted to help. I cringe at the thought of her 'helping' with baked goods that aren't intended for family consumption, but hey, desperate times and all that. So up she went on her chair at the counter. She really wanted the eggs. I have no idea why she wants to crack an egg so badly, but since I had a carton with only two eggs left, I put that on the counter and let her play with them. Usually, she moves them around in the carton or puts them on the counter and then back in the carton many millions of times.
Usually.
Today she tired of putting them in and out of the carton in fairly short order. For a change of pace, she held one in her hand and studied it... Before I could say a word, she lobbed the egg in an alley-oop volley that sailed in slow motion over the counter and seemed to hang in mid-air a second before it hit the floor with a familiar crunch-splat noise in the dining room. Ryan laughed his butt off. That is, until Bailey tried to dislocate a hip running and sliding to slurp up the egg. Then he was beyond grossed out. Like a good sport though, he cleaned it up for me.
While he was cleaning egg and I was mixing batter I heard the dreaded sound again: crunch-splat! Cailin had whipped the second egg in the opposite direction to test its endurance. She says it failed miserably. Bailey was ecstatic to get yet another egg. Which grossed Ryan out again. Which he cleaned up for me. Again. Unfortunately, I don't think the egg smashing curbed Cailin's obsession with eggs. I believe it may have made it worse in fact.
In between 432 interruptions, I was able to get the cake/cupcakes in the oven and managed not to burn them. Eventually the alarm system was installed, the tree was cut down/removed and Cailin went down for a short and crappy nap. We learned how to make the alarm not go boom (or perhaps, beep) and paid the tree cutters. Just in time for the carpenter to show up to give us a quote on the deck. We had people going every which direction. But as fast as they all showed up, they all left. We looked around and we were alone.
I cleaned up the baking dishes, made icing and got down to business. The cake consult suggested a seaside scene type theme and this is what I came up with:
The lighthouse is made of fondant. Of course, while I was sculpting said masterpiece (ha!), I was packing a picnic lunch for Cailin to eat in the truck and bidding my family adieu. They made a trip out to the farm to drop off all that neat firewood we suddenly had on our hands. Plus it's better if no one is around me while I'm icing any type of baked goods. Trust me. At any rate, they are out there harassing Nana and the puppies and watching the hockey game. You choose who is doing which activity.
The lighthouse is made of fondant. Of course, while I was sculpting said masterpiece (ha!), I was packing a picnic lunch for Cailin to eat in the truck and bidding my family adieu. They made a trip out to the farm to drop off all that neat firewood we suddenly had on our hands. Plus it's better if no one is around me while I'm icing any type of baked goods. Trust me. At any rate, they are out there harassing Nana and the puppies and watching the hockey game. You choose who is doing which activity. Actually, this lighthouse cake wasn't all that bad to make. I've been stressing about it for a few weeks and how I was going to make it, but I like how it turned out. I also made matching cupcakes - blue 'ocean' foils and sand colored icing complete with brown sugar 'sand' for a garnish:
I kept the stress to a minimum while baking today. I took time out between each step to stop and clean. Once the kitchen was scoured and neat, I would proceed onto the next step. It was so much easier than working in a mess and then having the mother of all messes to clean up at the very end.
I kept the stress to a minimum while baking today. I took time out between each step to stop and clean. Once the kitchen was scoured and neat, I would proceed onto the next step. It was so much easier than working in a mess and then having the mother of all messes to clean up at the very end. Once the cakes were finished and the kitchen cleaned for a final time, I realized that I WAS ALONE. All by myself. What to do?? So I turned on the tunes and went crazy cleaning the house. It was so wonderful to mop the floors and dust and clean bathrooms without worrying about a little one getting into mischief (ie - stealing the cleaner and spraying the dog with it). I had a quiet meal at the table all by myself. I vacuumed both floors of the house. I'm caught up on laundry, so I tidied everything downstairs instead.
So. We got an alarm today, got the tree taken down, got a very appealing quote on the deck, I finished my cake order, and I cleaned the house top to bottom. A very hectic and happy and wildly productive day.
I'm putting my feet up now.
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