We Are Almost Homeowners!!!

We have put in an offer for our dream house (pictured above) and the owner approved the offer. This is a "short sale" which means that the seller's lending bank has final approval on the offer (as they are absorbing a loss in the loan-basically a forclosure), so it may be a while until we seal the deal. But for now we are in escrow. The house is amazing, with lots of tile, space and style. The backyard is fully landscaped and has a covered patio with vines and gardens, and it is just down the street from Mom and Dad on Renfro. We are so excited and hope you all will hope and pray that this pans out for us.

Better Pictures of Painting!

Crock Pottin'

So yesterday I used my crock pot for the first time!!! We are trying to save extra money for a house soon and have been pinchin' pennies anywhere possible. Mom suggested I use the crock pot more often because it will allow us to eat home more, even with our very different and hectic schedules. I made herbed chicken and potatoes in a cream sauce; sort of turned into a stew. I had to half the recipe, but being blonde I forgot to half the cooking time as well; so it was a little mushy. But it was still quite tasty and we have leftovers for lunch today. I am excited to try another attempt tomorrow and I think I will do pulled pork. But I am hoping that you all will submit any good recipes you have in your back pocket. We need easy, tasty and cheap! THANKS!

P.S. I also spent the last 2 days painting the cutest bathroom in a "Curious George Bubbles" motif-soooo cute-and this weekend am doing a little boys room in a "Vintage Baseball" theme. I will post pics as soon as I can borrow a camera.

Christopher Picasso

I thought you all out there should know that not only is Chris kind, a very talented musician, good at Wii Bowling, and an awesome train conductor... he is also a very creative artist. Many of you would probably be surprised to know that he has been a closet painter since I have known him. It is just so funny because every once in a while when the mood strikes, without any word or planning, he will just whip out some paints and make a painting in like 30 minutes. (He earned his own painting supplies for Valentines Day because during his last creative episode my brushes were "somehow" destroyed-see my previous post:)) His work is in the contemporary abstract style, and he often uses uncommon material and tools. This painting he did yeserday was made with a knife and a medicine dropper, and is oil on canvas. I thought I would show off for him because I think it's pretty cool. I just love my quirky guy. To quote "Shrek", he is an onion; so many layers.

The Rossettos are Sort of Boring

I haven't blogged lately because I don't really feel we have a lot of noteworthy news. Plus we have been busy the last couple of weeks working, visiting the hospital, house hunting and spending time with Mom and Dad, Sarah, Ashton and Alvie. I would post pictures of Jackson and Brothers' newest tricks and developments, but I don't think anyone cares quite as much as we do about our "kids". But I love reading about all of our nieces and nephews and other family on the different blogs! We are so glad that Abby is doing better, and that Jake has some new hope for treating his scoriasis (sp?). As I read all your blogs I am in awe of how faithful, talented, motivated and inspirational you all are. I miss you all so much! But it has been so fun being able to visit with Ashton and Alva lately- and not to brag, but I am pretty sure I am Alvie's favorite new person! He is the cutest little guy and is soooo good that it almost convinces Chris and I that we could manage a baby right now. I will sign off with one funny anecdote:

DO NOT EVER PLAN A BAKING GIRLS ACTIVITY DAY!

Yesterday I had 14 girls, ages 8-11, in my tiny apartment making cookie mix jars and baking cookies as a service project for our neighbors. This was one of those Activity Day ideas that I got off an LDS member's site. I thought it sounded so cute and fun. Well, the person who suggested it is either superwoman or she lied because it did not go as easily as described! I feel so bad for whoever gets those mix-jars and tries to bake "cookies" with whatever is inside-the girls were being supervised, but somehow each jar looked COMPLETELY different! It was a lot of fun for the girls and they loved eating the flat, crumbly cookies they baked themselves. I, on the other hand, was left sweaty and disheveled, with a GIGANTIC mess to clean up. If we had a digital camera I would have taken a picture to back this up. So, for any of you Activity Day Leaders- take it from me and skip this one!

Update

I went to a few places today and finally found a good replacement for the keyboard. It was not quite as pricey as I thought and it sort of matches our nice Mac computer. I guess Chris is off the hook. Now we can look for a new digital camera to replace the one he lost in Mexico... :)

Husbands and Housekeeping

So...I know that my many Blog fans (all 4 of you) have been waiting eagerly for the fabulous "Pit Bull" story. However, I have not been able to actually use my computer lately- I am currently typing from Mom and Dad Reed's house- thanks to Chris. I will share the story of the computer's demise as my first blog!
A little background info:
Those of you who know Chris and I may already know that we have sort of opposite personality dynamics. I am what some might call "high strung", "dramatic", "slightly OCD", "controlling" and other cute traits. Chris on the other hand is the most mellow, even-keeled, laid back, sweet tempered person I have ever known. Usually this works out really well for us because I light a little fire under his butt when he needs it and he cools me down when I need to chill. But when it comes to our housekeeping habits, these differences cause some irritation. Chris breezes through the house without a care: opening drawers and cupboards and not closing them, leaving plates and crumbs everywhere, leaving shaved hairs all over the sink, breaking stuff accidentally etc. When I ask him about his constant messes he genuinely seems surprised- like he had no idea that they were really bad. He seems happily oblivious to a dirty house. Typically, being the neat freak that I am, I can't ignore the messes and just add the extra cleaning into my day. And Chris does often thank me for my unsolicited cleaning effort.

So yesterday morning I got up early, excited to play with my new blog! I headed into the kitchen first to grab a snack. I feel something sticky on the counter...ahhh, Chris made his favorite-pancakes-before he went to work at 5 am. The usual remnants of syrup, mix, dishes crumbs...(I feel like a detective at times because I can always trace every step and event in Chris' day by the little "trails" he leaves behind) He actually put the griddle away (dirty) which he later proudly pointed out to me. I grab my snack and head to the office. I sit down ready to go but the keyboard is not working. I checked the plug...not that. I restart the computer...no good. A virus maybe? THEN I SEE IT! A half glass of OJ with a suspicious trail of sticky leading to the keyboard. I pick up the keyboard and tip it over... orange juice drips out. I spent the next 30 minutes chewing Chris out (in my mind) while I took apart the keyboard and tried to clean out the sticky OJ that was underneath the keys. The damage was done, though, and so I will be blogging from my parents' computer until we buy a new one. I did confront my hubby about it later that day and his response was: "Yeah...(with a laugh) I accidentally spilled it, but I thought it would just dry. It's always been fine when I've spilled on it before." WHAT?! So the new rule in the Rossetto household is no liquids in the office. Maybe some of you bloggers out there who have put in more time being married can shed some insight into my situation: is Chris a lost cause or are there ways to rehabilitate a "tidy-impaired" spouse?

P.S. I don't want to seem like I am throwing Chris under the bus. Despite being destructively messy, he is the hardest working and sweetest guy I could ever ask for!