back in the saddle

So, we could have made a whole baby in the time since we last posted.  Not that we're making babies around here, it just helped to put our slackness into perspective.  One thing is for certain, lack of posting does not infer lack of activity for these Hamiltons.  In fact, it was the over-activity / "don't even know where to start" feeling that prevented us from keeping up.  All that said, at this point, a month-by-month catch-up is probably the only chance we have at efficiency:

October 2011 (Yeah, we're going there). . .We bought a house!!!  It was one of the most wonderful experiences of our lives.  Stressful as all get out to get everything organized in time for closing, but wonderful nonetheless.  It's a one-story ranch, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and an unfinished basement on about 1/2 acre.  Fits us perfectly.  

November 2011 We immediately began raking leaves, cleaning, and painting. . .and were able to move in by Thanksgiving.  We literally shoved everything in our house and left town for a week :)

 

bye bye ugly mint green

December 2011  We wanted our families to see our new house so we had Christmas at home.  This gave us a great goal to work toward being unpacked and ready to host all the folks we love the most.  It was a wonderful time and we were so excited to have Curt's grandad come from south Georgia and his brother all the way from New Mexico!  Yes, this is the ONLY pic we have from Christmas.  What can we say?  A whole package of Sharpies is pretty big news. . .

January 2012  We continued to work on our house.  Nancy taught Susan Ada how to remove wallpaper, thus giving our hall bath an entirely new look.

February 2012  This month was pretty packed.  Susan Ada's parents came to help us work on the house.  The boys built pantry shelves in the basement and the ladies stripped the wallpaper in the dining room.  A few weeks later we had a huge snow.  We actually have a very steep hill in our backyard so the sledding was spectacular.  We finished off the month with going to get our new puppy!!  Ruby is a Vizsla (think petite, red Weimeraner) and was only 7 weeks old when we brought her home.  We were immediately in love.

  

 

March 2012  Cute as she may be, we spent most of March adjusting to life with a puppy.  We've been told it's not so far removed from having a baby.  We hope any future infant doesn't run faster than we do, pee all over our house, and bite with puppy razors. . .

April 2012  Curt is still traveling to SC every 6 months, so he was gone for a few weeks in April.  Susan Ada stayed in Lynchburg, and that proved harder than she anticipated.  She was very thankful for a few visitors.  Having Curt return and being able to plant our first garden certainly cheered her up.

May 2012  In May we joined some friends at their house on the Pamlico River in NC.  It was a wonderful chance to get away and it was fun introducing Ruby to the open water.  We also started a 6-week puppy class with Ruby in hopes of returning to some resemblance of calm in our home.

June 2012  Not much to say here.  We stayed in town to do some projects on our house and rest up for travels later this summer.  Curt is trying to get some additional insulation in our attic, but all the "little things" that need to get done before the insulation goes in are keeping us busy.  He is definitely making progress and we now have 2 bathroom vents, a microwave vent, recessed lighting in our mudroom and are in the process of getting recessed lighting in our living room.  Yay for handy husbands!!

July 2012  And that brings us back to this month.  Our week-long trip to Evergreen was definitely the highlight.  Some friends came for a few days, and Susan Ada's family came for the rest.  Over all it was a restful week.

You made it!  We certainly hope it isn't another 9 months before we check in.  If not, at least we've left you with one happy puppy :)