Jeb Mortier, Laurie Mortier, Jordan Mortier, Aubrey Mortier & Amberly Mortier's personal website

The more we clean, the messier it gets.

It sure feels that way.  These past few weeks was a series of home improvements, and non-stop cleaning and re-cleaning and re-organizing.  The house (or at least one part of it) would be clean one day and a total disaster the next.  Last Thursday, we tackled fixing up the office.  We painted the room, but in the process of moving the office furniture out of the room, Jeb accidentally broke our computer desks (It was a "U"-shaped desk).  So, now we have to get new desks, which wasn't bad because the old ones were practically falling apart on us.  We keep them from falling apart to hold our computers by drilling tons and tons of screws to hold the legs and top together.  I think the most work among all the rooms we've painted so far was the office.  There were tons of things to move out and when everything was moved out, the entire house was a catastrophe.  It looked like we were moving.  We had boxes all over the place (I placed books from bookshelves and stuff from our desks and drawers in boxes).  And the worst part of it was, that mess stayed in the house for a few days, until we got our office furniture delivered.  We figured, if we are going to go get new desks, might as well get a whole new office furniture.  We stopped in at our local Staples to see what office furniture they've got that we might like and we found one, but they don't have it on stock so we had to order it online.  We got the Staples Mission Collection furniture, which has a warm honey finish and slats sides design, and it looks really nice.  The furniture arrived mid-day Monday, all 11 big and heavy boxes of it and a tiny pack of another office supply.  Next day, Tuesday, another package came, my wireless network connector (my desk is on the other corner of the room and we didn't feel like running network cables, beside the fact that it is unsightly, so wireless network saves the day!) and more office supplies.  Anyhow, all day Monday, I was assembling furniture -- until 3 in the morning!  Well, Jeb did help when he came home from work.  It was getting ridiculously late, I assembled the last piece the next day.  So now, the office furniture is all in and we finally got a pretty new office.  I still have to go through all the stuff and put them back and re-roganize everything yet.

Everytime I tried to clean or organize one thing, a new mess appears.  It doesn't help when 2 curious and active kids "helps" or leave their messes behind.  One neat example, is how they got hold of my paper shredder and dumped the contents of shredded paper all over and behind the coach and floor.  It looks like Aubrey was the culprit this time.  I was in the office and I keep hearing Jordan say, "Aubrey, no... No, Aubrey... Don't".  I really didn't pay mind to it at first (as I was busy), but then after a while I came out to check what the fuss was all about.  And there, I saw Jordan holding the bin where the shredded paper goes and picking up all the shredded paper and trying so hard to put them back in the container... and here Aubrey keeps dumping it out or grabbing the bin from his hands.  Jordan was being a good boy by trying to stop her and cleaning up the mess.  When I was picking up the mess, Jordan kept handing me shredded paper... one tiny shred at a time.  He'd go, "Here Momma, here... Here's more, Momma..."  It was so cute! :)

Another time, earlier in the morning, Aubrey dropped our printer and shattered the power cord of the printer.  The prongs were all  broken off.  Now, we need to get a replacement part for it and it is just a bit annoying since I need to print stuff.  I just hope it gets here today 'cause I really, really need to use the printer.  We have another printer but the rollers on the print mechanism is a little messed up and we didn't have the time to fix it yet.  It always jams up when we print or don't feed right.  Much to say, it is a pain and annoying to use.  I have more waste than a decent print job.

I am just so glad all the boxes and styrofoam and wrapping are all out of the house!  Mom and Dad was nice enough to pick up the boxes and bring it out to their shed so Jason and Kelley can use it for packing when they move.  I bagged all the styrofoam and foam wrap and I came up with a total of 9 trash bags (all those are in the truck and going to the dump yard tomorrow on Jeb's way to work).  My poor dining and living rooms are such a mess.  The house is in such a state of catastrophe that you don't even want to come over! :-p  You can barely come in the front door without it hitting boxes and stuff and you tripping over boxes and office stuff.  But now that that is out of the way, I can walk through the living to the dining now without having to climb over boxes and get into organizing or sorting through all the office and its' junk again.  I would have an after picture already, but the house or any rooms of it aren't ready for such pictorials yet.  I, however did forget to take a before shot of the office before we moved the stuff and painted.  I will have to go through all my house pictures from the past and see if I have any pictures of the office with how it looked then.

I was so tired from last night yet, and my hands and back are so sore from lifting and screwing, that I went to bed at 8:30pm, after I put the kids to bed.  I got up at 12:30am because the kids woke up and I had to put them back to sleep.  It is 1:30am as of the moment, and I don't feel tired anymore... that I am actually thinking of tacking some house work.  I really NEED to clean up my kitchen.  I think I will work on that first and then the bathroom / laundry while I keep working some more on the office.  We'll see how far I can go before I feel like going back to bed. Laters...

P.S.  Oh, by the way... my dearest hubby turned 30 last Saturday!  I couldn't make him a cake that day (still DUB, and the Sabbath) so I made one for him on Sunday instead.  I made him a Black Forest cake, and it turned out great!  Hubby loved it so much... he kept sneaking in the fridge and eating more :)  Kimmy, if you are reading this, I don't know if I will have any left for you when you come in May if he keeps it up.  Black Forest cake is by far my hubby's and my favorite cake, that's why I made it.  I even dosed the cake and frosting with Kirsh/Kirshwasser cherry brandy.  Pictures and recipe of it will be up later, when I get to it.  One special thing he loved was the glass frame he got from the kids.  It is a personalized frame, with a poem etched in the glass and a picture of the kids.  It is now sitting proudly on his new desk. :)

Congratulations to all April celebrants:

• April 4 - my cousin, Patricia's birthday
• April 10 - my brother Richard's birthday; and our friend, Zach's 1st birthday
• April 12 - Aubrey's 1st birthday
• April 24 - my cousin, Gracielle's birthday
• April 26 - my dear Jebby's 30th birthday
• April 27 - Kimberly's 26th birthday

If I missed out anybody... Congratulations to you too!  

Now, I really need to go if I like to accomplish something and before I would feel like going back to bed already. 

P.P.S. Newsflash: Aubrey took a couple steps!!!